The Philadelphia Eagles have hired Buffalo Bills nickelback coach Mike Pellegrino as their new defensive backs coach, continuing a sweeping overhaul of the coaching staff following last month’s NFC Wild Card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported the move on Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The #Eagles are set to hire #Bills nickels coach Mike Pellegrino as a defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports.”
Before Buffalo, the 32-year-old Pellegrino worked for the Patriots for 10 seasons, including the final six as cornerbacks coach.
Pellegrino entered the NFL in 2015 as a coaching assistant with the New England Patriots and was promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2019. He was part of the Patriots’ Super Bowl LI and LII championship staffs and later helped develop several standout defensive backs, including Christian Gonzalez (2024 Second Team All-Pro), J.C. Jackson (2021 Second Team All-Pro), and Stephon Gilmore (2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Pro).
The #Eagles are set to hire #Bills nickels coach Mike Pellegrino as a defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports.
Before Buffalo, the 32-year-old Pellegrino worked for the Patriots for 10 seasons, including the final six as cornerbacks coach. pic.twitter.com/56NXDlf0oY
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 13, 2026
In 2025, Pellegrino joined Sean McDermott’s staff in Buffalo as nickelback coach. The Bills boasted one of the league's best secondaries in all of football.
The defensive addition comes amid broader changes in Philadelphia. The Eagles fired Kevin Patullo from his post as offensive coordinator and later named former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator. The team also hired Minnesota Vikings assistant Chris Kuper as offensive line coach.
With Pellegrino now in place, the Eagles continue reshaping both sides of the ball as they look to rebound in the upcoming season.
