Eagles Offensive Coordinator Candidates

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I had the offensive coordinator candidate article written before the Eagles end of season press conference, but hadn’t published yet. That press conference greatly changed my thoughts on how the Eagles are going to approach the search for an offensive coordinator.

I thought they would go with someone with close ties to Sirianni. While that could still happen, I’m now of the belief that they’re much more likely to bring someone that doesn’t have ties to Nick. For that reason, I’ve grouped these candidates into groups, those with familiarity with Sirianni and those that have no familiarity with Sirianni.

Offensive Coordinator Candidates with Familiarity

I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion that the Eagles don’t hire someone that Nick has worked with in the past. Sirianni mentioned he wants to bring in someone with fresh ideas.

While that would lead you to believe he wouldn’t work with someone he’s worked with in the past, each of these coaches have had different experiences working with different coaches and systems since Sirianni has last worked with them. They could still bring in fresh ideas in their own right.

Frank Reich

2018-2020 – Head coach for Indianapolis Colts while Sirianni served as offensive coordinator. Reich remained the head coach for the Colts until 2022.
2013-2015 – Worked together in various roles with the San Diego Chargers.
2023 – Head coach for the Carolina Panthers. Fired after 11 games. The team didn’t perform well, but that is a poorly constructed roster as well.
- The Panthers brought in a collection of coaches from various coaching trees (McVay/Kingsbury/Ben Johnson in particular). It didn’t work out, but Reich was exposed to new ideas.
Reich has fallen out of favor due to his struggles as a head coach. But you can’t ignore the context.
- 2018 – Coached Andrew Luck for his final season, who missed the entire 2017 season. Was Luck’s best season in QB rating, second best in passing yards and TDs. Went 10-6, made the playoffs, and beat Deshaun Watson’s Texans before falling to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the next round.
- 2019 – Andrew Luck surprise retirement led to them playing with Jacoby Brissett as QB for entire season. Went a respectable 7-9 with a backup QB.
- 2020 – 39-year-old and final season Philip Rivers commands team. Finishes with a top 10 offense in points and yards and makes playoffs.
- 2021-2022 – Offenses led with Carson Wentz and final year of career Matt Ryan. Both teams underwhelm and miss playoffs.2023 – led a Carolina Panthers offense that had a rookie QB, with the best weapon being a 33-year-old Adam Thielen.
I’m not saying Reich is my first choice, and I would be a bit uninspired if he was the new OC, but I do think some of the hate he’s gotten recently has gone a little too far.
Obviously, Kyle Shanahan is a better coach, but even he had a 6-10 season in 2020, where the team went 3-7 when Garoppolo missed 10 games. Players matter.

Ken Whisenhunt

2013 – Offensive coordinator for the Chargers in 2013 while Sirianni was an offensive quality control coach.
Head coach for the Titans 2014-2015; Offensive coordinator for the Chargers 2016-2019; Offensive analyst for Penn State 2021-2022; Special assistant to the head coach at Alabama 2023.

Mike McCoy

2013-2015 – Head coach for the San Diego Chargers while Sirianni served in various roles. McCoy remained head coach for the Chargers through 2016.
Denver Broncos offensive coordinator 2017; Arizona Cardinals coordinator 2018; Jacksonville Jaguars QB coach 2022-present.

Jerrod Johnson (interviewed)

2019-2020 – Offensive quality control coach with the Colts while Sirianni was the head coach.
Has spent a season coaching with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings (former McVay offensive coordinator) and with Bobby Slowik and the Texans (former Shanahan disciple). He’s spent the majority of his coaching career learning from the Shanahan/McVay coaching tree.
Has no experience as a coordinator and only one season as a full-time position coach (QB).
Of the coaches with ties to Sirianni, Johnson is the one that intrigues me the most.

Offensive Coordinator Candidates Without Familiarity

If Sirianni stays and they bring in someone he’s not familiar with, that would be an interesting dynamic. It would likely be someone bringing in an offense that Sirianni is unfamiliar with. Is Nick comfortable in this scenario? Still, if it is someone else, there are intriguing coordinator options. Offshoots of the Shanahan/McVay coaching trees are in vogue right now.

Klint Kubiak

2023-Present – San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan. Helped solidify Brock Purdy himself as a starting QB and longshot MVP candidate in the NFL.
Has previous offensive coordinator experience with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021.
Son of Super Bowl winning head coach and offensive savant Gary Kubiak.
Has held various coaching roles in the NFL since 2013.

Zac Robinson

2022-Present – Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator under Sean McVay.
2019-2021- Served in various roles under Sean McVay.
No offensive coordinator or play calling experience. Has only coached since 2019 after playing four seasons in the NFL.

Darrell Bevell

2022-Present – Passing game coordinator and QB coach under Mike McDaniel.
Has held several coaching roles in the NFL since 2000, including four stints as an offensive coordinator and one as an interim head coach.
Was the offensive coordinator for seven seasons in Seattle, including both of their Super Bowl appearances. Significant because he directed a Russell Wilson led Seahawks team that was extremely efficient. There are a lot of similarities between Wilson and Jalen Hurts.

Kellen Moore (interviewed)

2023 – Offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers.
2018-2022 – Served as a QB coach in his first year as a coach at any level for the Dallas Cowboys. Held the title of offensive coordinator in Dallas from 2019-2022.
Offenses have consistently ranked near the top in motion rate. Also does a good job presenting different looks from a variety of personnel groupings.

Eric Bienemy

2023 – Offensive coordinator/assistant for the Washington Commanders.
2018-2022 – Offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid. Has been on Reid’s staff since 2013.
Has held various coaching roles in college and the NFL since 2001.
He is also a candidate for a head coaching position if it comes to that, but for some reason he has never received a real shot at a head coaching position from the NFL. I’ll leave him here for now.

Kliff Kinsgbury (interviewed)

2023-Present – USC senior offensive analyst
2019-2022 – Head coach for the Arizona Cardinals
- His offenses generally ranked in the middle of the pack in scoring and yards.
- Those offenses were very similar to the Eagles in their use of shotgun formations, very little motion, significantly high rate of RPOs, and the fact that they didn’t move their receivers around the formation very much.
- This hire wouldn’t lead me to believe they’re serious about bringing in someone with fresh ideas.
Was Patrick Mahomes head coach at Texas Tech, but had just one winning season with him (7-6). He somehow landed a head coaching job anyway.
Kingsbury’s lack of success in his past two stops scares me away from wanting to hire him.