Josh Grizzard Is the Eagles' Carefully Crafted Insurance Policy — And That's Exactly How They Want It

When the Philadelphia Eagles hired Josh Grizzard as their passing game coordinator, the football world immediately started asking the obvious question: Is he really just an insurance policy for Sean Mannion? On Monday's Birds 365, John McMullen confirmed what many suspected — but explained why the Eagles believe they have threaded a very delicate needle.

The Matt Patricia Lesson

To understand why the Eagles handled the Grizzard hire the way they did, you have to understand what went wrong with the Sean Desai experiment. When the Eagles hired Desai as defensive coordinator, they also brought in Matt Patricia as a senior defensive assistant. The move was widely interpreted — correctly, as it turned out — as a signal that the team did not fully trust Desai.

They fell in that trap before on the defensive side with Sean Desai and Matt Patricia. It comes across as 'well, you're just waiting for the guy to bail.' That's why I said if you bring in somebody like Frank Reich, everybody from day one is saying, 'Oh, you're expecting this guy to fail.' — John McMullen

The Eagles learned from that mistake. McMullen wrote about the insurance policy dynamic the day Grizzard was hired, drawing a clear line between the overt Patricia approach and the subtler Grizzard strategy.

A Layered, Not Overt, Safety Net

The key distinction McMullen drew is between an insurance policy that screams 'we don't believe in you' and one that provides organizational depth without undermining the coordinator.

It's a layered insurance policy. It's not the obvious, top-of-the-run Frank Reich insurance policy. But it's an insurance policy. It's also an insurance policy so Nick doesn't have to do it, because Nick doesn't want to do it. — John McMullen

That last point is critical. McMullen noted that Nick Sirianni has 'steadfastly said over the years that he doesn't want to' call plays. The Grizzard hire ensures that if Mannion struggles, there is a capable backup option that does not require the head coach to take on a role he has repeatedly declined.

The Schefter Comment That Worried McMullen

McMullen revealed that the most concerning pre-hire comment came not from a local reporter but from ESPN's Adam Schefter, who suggested on-air that Sirianni might end up calling the plays himself.

When he talked about maybe Nick Sirianni will call the plays — that concerned me. Not because Nick can't do it, but because he has steadfastly said over the years that he doesn't want to do it. — John McMullen

McMullen believes the Grizzard hire was designed specifically to prevent that scenario. By installing a passing game coordinator with play-calling experience — albeit limited — the Eagles created a chain of command that keeps Sirianni in his preferred role as CEO of the offense rather than the play-by-play operator.

The Inevitable Mid-Season Narrative

Both McMullen and Krause acknowledged what every Eagles fan already knows: if Mannion struggles, the calls for a play-calling change will come fast and loud. McMullen was blunt about the timeline.

There are a few things I can guarantee in life: death, taxes, and the Eagles offensive coordinator is going to get booed. Sean Mannion's got to get booed at some point. The point is, do you persevere through it and accomplish what you want to accomplish? — John McMullen

Krause joked that the calls would start as early as 'the second half of Week 1,' but McMullen's underlying point was serious. The infrastructure is in place for a mid-season transition if needed. Grizzard's Tampa Bay experience — where he coordinated a top-five offense through the first six weeks before injuries derailed the season — gives the Eagles a credible fallback without the organizational humiliation of admitting the Mannion hire failed.

Credit Where It's Due

McMullen gave the Eagles credit for the execution of the Grizzard hire. Unlike the Patricia situation, which immediately created a toxic 'who's really running the defense?' dynamic, the Grizzard hire reads as a normal passing game coordinator addition. His resume does not scream 'coordinator-in-waiting' the way Patricia's did, and that subtlety is the entire point.

The Eagles believe in Sean Mannion. They also know that belief alone does not win football games in February. Josh Grizzard is the plan for what happens when belief meets reality — and in Philadelphia, that collision tends to happen early and often.