Ex-Eagle Josh McCown is suddenly a head coaching candidate

Former Eagles quarterback Josh McCown has expressed his desire to be a coach in the past. On Friday, McCown took his first step to becoming a head coach.

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The Houston Texans announced they had interviewed McCown and former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell for their head coaching vacancy.

McCown was initially signed by the Eagles to a one-year deal in August 2019 to be Carson Wentz’s backup. During the 2019-2020 season, when Wentz suffered a concussion in the Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks, McCown stepped in and almost led the Eagles to a come from behind win while dealing with a torn hamstring. However, the team lost the game 17-9.

The Eagles re-signed McCown to the team’s practice squad in September 2020, making McCown the oldest practice squad player in NFL history. McCown was signed to be the emergency quarterback if there was a COVID-19 outbreak that affected the team’s quarterbacks. McCown remained quarantined in Texas and attended Zoom meetings with the team.

The Texans offered McCown an opportunity to join their active roster, and McCown went to Houston. McCown did not play in any games in 2020.

In the later stages of his career, McCown pretty much served as a player-coach. He mentored young quarterbacks across the league. McCown’s extensive experience, especially at the quarterback position, was invaluable to have in a quarterback room.

It is a surprise that the Texans would interview him so quickly. McCown has coached at the high school level but has not done so collegiately or in the pros. It could have just been an opportunity to give him a chance to go through the process so when he becomes a more legitimate candidate, he would have experienced going through the process.

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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.

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