Director of Player Personnel Brandon Brown and Quarterbacks Coach Brian Johnson represented the Eagles in the inaugural Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and the fourth annual Quarterback Coaching Summit presented by the NFL and the Black College Football Hall of Fame this week.
Front office personnel and coaches from the NFL and NCAA participated in the virtual programs to experience professional development and networking opportunities with NFL club executives.
"The Ozzie Newsome General Manager Forum and Quarterback Coaching Summit are part of our ongoing efforts to break mobility barriers, establish a cultural norm of opportunity for all, and a steadfast commitment to developing a diverse and inclusive workforce," said Eagles Hall of Fame cornerback and NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Troy Vincent. "Participants will be exposed to best practices used by the brightest and most creative minds in football as well as networking opportunities to build relationships and gain personal insights."
"There is an immense amount of diverse talent in the front office and on the offensive side of the ball around the country," said Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder Doug Williams. "It is important to allow these bright individuals the opportunity to showcase their skills to NFL executives and media. We hope the exposure the participants receive from this event results in advancement opportunities."
This year, participants learned best practices used by quarterback coaches, offensive coordinators, head coaches, and general managers. The GM Forum provided a platform to help prepare, educate, and identify quality minority candidates. The QB Coaching Summit featured various topics, including how to build a coaching staff and establish a winning culture.
Brown enters his fifth season with the Eagles and seventh overall in the NFL. He was promoted to director of player personnel during the 2021 offseason.
In his new role, Brown oversees the Eagles' pro scouting department while also doing crossover work on the college scouting side in collaboration with co-Director of Player Personnel Ian Cunningham.
Brown previously served as Philadelphia's director of pro scouting for two seasons (2019-20) after originally joining the organization as the assistant director of pro scouting (2017-18).
Prior to the Eagles, Brown spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts as an advance scout (2016) and scouting assistant (2015). During his time at Boston College, he was the assistant director of player personnel (2014) and worked as a recruiting specialist (2013).
Johnson was named the Eagles' quarterbacks coach during the 2021 offseason following a highly successful three-year tenure (2018-20) at the University of Florida. As the offensive coordinator, Johnson led the Gators to the most prolific passing offense (378.6 ypg) in the FBS while ranking seventh in total offense (509.8 ypg) and eighth in scoring offense (39.8 ppg) among teams that played at least 10 games during the 2020 season.
Johnson began his coaching career at his alma mater, Utah, and spent four seasons (2010-13) with the Utes. In 2012, he became the youngest FBS offensive coordinator in the nation at just 24 years old after spending two years coaching Utah's quarterbacks.
A native of Baytown, Texas, Johnson was a three-year starter and two-time bowl MVP at Utah and finished with the most wins (26) in school history, including an undefeated 13-0 season in 2008. For his career, Johnson threw for 7,853 yards and 57 touchdowns and ran for 848 yards and 12 scores. He gained even more acclaim when EA Sports put him on the cover of its 2010 NCAA Football video game.
