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When news broke that Mike McDaniel intended to sign a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers to become Jim Harbaugh’s new offensive coordinator, it left the Philadelphia Eagles with one less option on their proverbial wishlist.
Taking to social media to comment on the news, ESPN NFL Reporter Jeff Darlington noted that the Eagles did, in fact, have McDaniel as their top option to replace Kevin Patullo and would now have to look for another option, just like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also pursued the former Miami Dolphins head coach.
Does it stink to see McDaniel choose to coach Justin Herbert over Jalen Hurts? Yes, while some fans questioned the relationship between McDaniel and Vic Fangio, or noted the hot-and-cold nature of his offense, there’s no question that when the Dolphins were on over the past few years, they were among the best offenses in all of football, even with Tua Tagovialoa under center.
Fortunately, while the Eagles might not secure their top option on the open market, they didn’t get the top coach when they hired Doug Pederson, or Nick Sirianni, for that matter, and they won a Super Bowl with both coaches running the show. With veteran head coaches and young offensive minds alike still on the board, the Eagles could still leave the cycle with an exciting new coach on their roster and a bright, bright future heading into the 2026 NFL season.
Of all the different options left on the open market, the one with the most Eagles connections – outside of former coaches like Pederson or Frank Reich – has to be Brian Daboll.
On the way through his coaching career, Daboll worked with Jalen Hurts at Alabama, oversaw WR coach Sirianni as the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, and coached Saquon Barkley to multiple 1,000-yard seasons before jumping ship from the New York Giants to South Philadelphia.
Coming to prominence as the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator during Josh Allen’s early career from 2018-21, Daboll helped to turn a toolsy quarterback from Wyoming into a future MVP, with his overall production falling off in the years since Buffalo moved away from his offensive scheme. While Daboll didn’t have the same level of success in New York during his run atop the Giants, with the team amassing a 20-40-1 record over his tenure, his offense remained plucky in a way Patullo never seemed to match, as highlighted by a monster Thursday Night Football win over the Birds on Prime.
With head coaching interest from multiple teams and even more offensive coordinator jobs to fill, Daboll could also spurn Philadelphia for a “better” gig, but if he were to choose the Eagles, it could produce very good results this fall, even if he’ll be right back on the market next winter when teams are looking for head coaches once more.
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