ClutchPoints
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Philadelphia Eagles fans were incredibly excited about the future of their offense.
After massively misstepping with the decision to replace future New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore with promoted passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, the Eagles’ offense looked like 2023 all over again, with very little creativity in place design, an incredible lack of originality in play calling, and an overeliance on players to create for themselves once they caught the ball, instead of manufacturing big plays with smart scheming. Sure, they’d look okay for a snap, a drive, or even a quarter, but when it counted, the Eagles had to overly rely on their elite defense to keep them in games while providing Vic Fangio’s side of the ball very little in terms of production to make their lives easier.
With Patullo gone, surely the Eagles would be able to find another Moore, a smart, savvy play caller with something to prove who wanted to test his mettle in one of the most testy markets in all of sports, right?
Right?
On paper, the Eagles’ offensive coordinator job has been a real proving ground for some of the top coaches in the NFL today. Shan Steichen initially held the job when Nick Sirianni was hired and went on to be named the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach after the Super Bowl, a job he holds to this day. While Brian Johnson’s tenure didn’t go as well, being fired and landing in Washington as the Commanders’ pass game coordinator, Moore proved again that if you succeed in Philadelphia, you will get head coaching interviews, a fact some assumed would hold true for Patullo as well midway through the season, even if that now feels rather comedic in hindsight.
Unfortunately, because there is so much scrutiny on the Eagles’ OC gig, when coupled with additional factors like Sirianni’s preferences and the team’s desire to keep Jeff Stoutland on for his zone-heavy run game coordinatorship, Philadelphia has really struggled to land a new top offensive assistant, with some, like Mike McDaniel, choosing other jobs, while others, like Declan Doyle, have withdrawn their names entirely.
With their offensive coordinator search getting dangerously close to February, the Eagles find themselves with few options left to fill the role, but not all options are created equal. No, for the Birds to get back to where they want to be in 2026, they need to make the best of a bad situation, instead of compounding bad luck into bad results.
Technically, Charlie Weis Jr. has already stated he won’t be taking the Eagles’ offensive coordinator job and will be returning to Lane Kiffin as they make the move to LSU from Ole Miss, but unlike, say, Mike Kafka, he isn’t under contract with another NFL team, and as a result, could still be in play if Howie Roseman, Jeffrey Lurie, and company make a strong push.
Making history as one of the...
