Jauron could be running the defense in a few years.
Back in 2003, Andy Reid brought in his old friend Marty Mornhinweg after he was fired as the head coach of the Detroit Lions. Since Brad Childress was already named the offensive coordinator, Mornhinweg was given the title of "Senior Assistant."
Mornhinweg floated around the Eagles' coaching staff until after the 2005 season when Childress was hired by the Minnesota Vikings to be their head coach. Mornhinweg immediately was hired as the offensive coordinator and has retained that post ever since.
And now with another young coordinator aspiring to one day become a head coach in Sean McDermott, Reid has once again brought in and old friend from his days in Green Bay and hired former Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron to be the team's secondary coach.
The drop from head coach to secondary coach might seem like a huge fall, but something tells me behind the scenes Jauron was told he'd eventually take over as defensive coordinator.
Hiring young coordinators, regardless of their level of success, has become the trend in the NFL today, and with all the turnover we see at head coach it's likely McDermott could get his shot sooner rather than later.
So, if and when that day comes, Reid is going to be ready. Rather than going through interviews and the whole process of trying to find a new defensive coordinator, he'll simply promote Jauron and move on from there.
He did the same thing with Childress and Mornhinweg, so having a plan in place for when McDermott moves on makes sense.
Reid is anticipating that McDermott will create a buzz around the league and someone will take a shot on him. Even after only one season, his time with the Eagles and as a defensive coordinator could be coming to an end.
Childress was only the offensive coordinator for three years, and Jon Harbaugh was only a defensive coach for one season before being snagged by the Ravens.
Harbaugh was the special teams coordinator for nine seasons, but very rarely are special teams coordinators hired as head coaches. The move to secondary coach made him appealing to other teams immediately, and the Ravens jumped on him (after being turned down by their first choice, Jason Garrett).
Even Steve Spagnuolo, who will mostly be remembered as the Giants' defensive coordinator, was only a positional coach for three years before moving on and eventually becoming the St. Louis Rams head coach.
The pattern is clear: Reid's understudies don't stick around for the very long -- Jim Johnson is the only exception to that, but that was by his own choice and certainly not a lack of interest -- so he has a plan in place by bringing Jauron on board.
It's possible Jauron gets an offer from another team and isn't willing to wait for McDermott to vacate the spot, but the possibility is only slight given his recent shortcomings in Buffalo. Usually, coaches don't receive a real offer for a couple years after failing so miserably.
Jauron belongs as a defensive coordinator and, in the next few years or so, he'll take over that post for the Eagles.
