National Football League

Report: Spagnuolo returning to Eagles

Published Jan. 10, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Steve Spagnuolo, who was fired as head coach of the St. Louis Rams after the regular season, is expected to join the Philadelphia Eagles' coaching staff before the end of the week, according to the NFL Network.

League sources told the network Spagnuolo will either replace current defensive coordinator Juan Castillo or be named an assistant once head coach Andy Reid returns from vacation at the end of the week.

Spagnuolo was hired by the Rams a year after helping lead the New York Giants on their storied playoff run in 2007-08, culminating in a win over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.

Spagnuolo, 52, started his career with the Eagles in 1999 as a defensive assistant. He spent eight years with the team, learning under the late Jim Johnson, before leaving to become the Giants' defensive coordinator.

A return to the Giants was unlikely for Spagnuolo, whose Rams finished 2-14 this season. Current defensive coordinator Perry Fewell had been criticized by fans this season when the Giants were struggling, but players stood by Fewell and backed it up with their best performance of the year in a 24-2 wild card win over the Falcons on Sunday.