The Indianapolis Colts are hiring Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their next head coach.
The Colts will officially introduce Steichen during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Signed. Sealed. Delivered. pic.twitter.com/1inKUARa1x
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) February 14, 2023
Steichen Succeeds Frank Reich And Jeff Saturday
Steichen takes over for Frank Reich, who was fired as the head coach during the middle of his fifth season after a 3-5 start to the 2022 campaign. In his four and a half seasons as head coach, Reich went 40-33 and brought the Colts to the playoffs twice, highlighted by a Divisional Round appearance in 2018. Carolina Panthers hired Reich to be their new head coach in January 2023.
Jeff Saturday, the former Colts offensive lineman and ESPN analyst, took over for Reich and became the interim coach for the second half of the season. Saturday won his first game as interim coach in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders 25-20. The Colts then lost their next seven games to close out the season.
Steichen Best Known For Quarterback Development
With over a decade of NFL experience, Steichen is best known for his ability to work and develop quarterbacks. In his two seasons as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, Steichen helped quarterback Jalen Hurts go from second-round pick to MVP finalist. In 2021, Steichen called the plays for an offense that finished first in rushing and made the playoffs as the seven seed in a rebuilding year.
2022 is when the Hurts and Steichen partnership flourished as the Eagles ranked third in yards per game (389.1), fifth in rushing yards per game (147.6), and third in points per game (28.1). Under Steichen’s direction, Hurts broke out in 2022, finishing the regular season with 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, 13 rushing touchdowns, and six interceptions on his way to becoming an MVP finalist. Despite coming up short in the Super Bowl, Hurts accumulated 374 yards of offense and four touchdowns.
Before Philadelphia, Steichen was on the Los Angeles Chargers staff from 2014-2020. As the offensive coordinator in 2020, Steichen oversaw the historic rookie season of quarterback Justin Herbert, who finished the year with 31 touchdowns on 396 completions.
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