Staying power? Nick Sirianni is among 2 left from 2021 class

Back in 2021, seven new head coaches were hired. That included the Eagles hiring Nick Sirianni, who had a rather noteworthy press conference for his stammering and uneasiness.

It was hard to fathom that 3 1/2 years later, Sirianni would be one of just two coaches remaining from that class. But here we are, with Sirianni and Detroit's Dan Campbell as the only ones remaining after the Jets surprisingly fired Robert Saleh this week.

Or maybe it's not surprising depending on the Aaron Rodgers conspiracy theories . And no one loves a conspiracy theory more than us here at the Eye On The Eagles newsletter.

But there's no conspiracy with Sirianni's success. He has taken the Eagles to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, including a Super Bowl in 2022. He has a .655 winning percentage, fifth best in the league since 2021. It's also the best in Eagles' history.

Yet Sirianni appears to be on shaky ground with the Eagles off to a 2-2 start so far this season. There was speculation that the Eagles were considering firing Sirianni at the end of last season, which ended with a 1-6 collapse. Sirianni survived, but had to give up control of the offense to new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

And Sirianni also had to deal with noncommittal endorsements from quarterback Jalen Hurts not only after the season, but in the spring , then again in training camp , and even again not even two weeks ago when Hurts said " we have our moments," when asked if he and Sirianni discuss messaging to the team.

There were even reports that Eagles had spoken to ex-Patriots coach Bill Belichick last winter before deciding to keep Sirianni.

It wasn't until this past week when Hurts mentioned having " great moments with Nick " over the bye week.

So it was natural to ask if Sirianni had thought about his own job security after Saleh was fired.

"No," Sirianni said. "I obviously wish him nothing but the best ... But my mind is set on only, how do we get better? Anything out of your control, or anything that consumes your mind that's not focused on getting better, is a waste of time. It only clouds the process.

"If you're focused on things that you can't control, then that's going to cloud that hunger and that drive to get better ... That's how I live, that's how I've operated. You are who your habits are, and that's how I've been operating for a big portion of my life."

As for the other coaches from the Class of 2021, here's how they fared:

• Urban Meyer, Jacksonville: He didn't finish his first season, going 2-11 before getting the boot amid reports of dysfunction and intimidation.
• David Culley, Houston: He went 4-13 in his first season, and was fired shortly thereafter.
• Brandon Staley, Chargers: He was fired last December after going 5-9 that season and 24-24 overall.
• Arthur Smith, Falcons: He was fired last January after going 21-30. Ironically, Sirianni's first career win was a 32-6 romp over Smith and the Falcons.
• Saleh: He went 20-36 in three-plus seasons, including a 2-3 start this season.
• Campbell: He went 3-13-1 his rookie season, then improved to 9-8 and 12-5 last season as the Lions reached the NFC Championship game. The Lions are 3-1 this season. Campbell is 27-27-1 overall.

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The Eagles are back from their bye week. Even though it came early, following Week 4, it was much needed after a brutal travel itinerary in September that saw them fly to Brazil ✈, followed by an emotional Monday night home game with Jason Kelce in his new gig and Nick Foles making his retirement official, then back-to-back road games to New Orleans and Tampa.

More importantly, when the Eagles return to action with a home game on Oct. 13 against Cleveland, they'll have three of their top offensive stars back in wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and right tackle Lane Johnson. It'll be just the Eagles' second true home game of the season, and their first since Sept. 16. Their third won't come until Nov. 3 against Jacksonville.

In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me either on X @Mfranknfl, or on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Staying power? Nick Sirianni is among 2 left from 2021 class