Kevin

Patullo

As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes, Philly retained Patullo after demoting him from offensive coordinator. The uncomfortable arrangement was not long for this world and Patullo will now head to South Beach. Patullo served as the Eagles’ OC for one year. The team went from seventh in scoring in 2024 to 19th in Patullo’s lone season on the headset. Between Patullo and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who was also fired as an OC at his last stop, the Dolphins are putting together an awfully underwhelming staff under first-time head coach Jeff Hafley.

In a stunning repeat of the 2023 season, the Eagles lost their offensive playcaller to head-coaching waters, replaced him in-house, and the house proved unable to live up to the talent on the roster. Certainly nobody should be struggling to make A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith prime parts of the offense, nor should an offensive coordinator not be able to find a way to make in-prime Saquon Barkley and this offensive line be pathologically unable to crack 100 yards in a game. And, well, Patullo did both those things. It’s possible he takes a smaller role on the Eagles staff. Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator position is right up there with Detroit’s as one of the best openings in the league. They will undoubtedly find an outside candidate interested in working with Jalen Hurts, Barkley, Brown, and Smith.

When asked if Patullo would remain as the team’s play-caller, Sirianni endorsed his long-time friend and first-time offensive coordinator with a resounding, “yeah.” The Eagles’ offensive struggles have been a story throughout most of the season, but things have felt particularly bleak as of late. The Eagles have topped 20 points just once in their last four games, and lost 24-15 at home to the Bears on Black Friday. Patullo will remain as play-caller for Week 14’s game against the Chargers, but at this time, he feels far from a lock to finish out the season in his current role.

Sirianni adds that “if he thought Kevin Patullo was the issue, he’d make the change.” It is fair to point out that the Eagles’ offensive health has been an issue this season, which is not helping things, but the play calling clearly needs work. For now, Sirianni is sticking with his guy. Despite the offensive woes, the Eagles sit atop the NFC East at 8-4.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, increasingly reviled among Eagles faithful, will retain play calling duties headed into the team’s Week 13 game against the Bears. Sirianni’s blessing comes after the Eagles blew a 21-point lead against the Cowboys in Week 12, failing to score a single point in the second half. “Yesterday, I felt Kevin did a good job of calling it,” Sirianni said after the loss. “Obviously, he’s going to want plays back.” The Eagles rank 18th in pass rate over expected, well above where they were in 2024 as the NFL’s most run-heavy unit. Saquon Barkley’s lack of explosiveness this season has left the Eagles with little choice but to lean on Jalen Hurts and the passing attack.

Stefanski certainly couldn’t be blamed for wanting to exit Cleveland after another season spent coordinating a dead-on-arrival offense hamstrung by Deshaun Watson’s contract. Especially after he didn’t appear to be on Andrew Berry’s page about giving up Joe Flacco to the Bengals in a midseason trade. As we hit silly season, Stefanski’s status will be one of the more important dominoes to watch. Hughes also mentions as names to watch for the job: Packers DC Jeff Hafley, Rams OC Mike LaFleur, Eagles OC Kevin Patullo (??), Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo, Vikings DC Brian Flores, Former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, and Texans DC Matt Burke.

Sirianni went into a lengthy dissertation about how one guy wears all the blame or credit for calling plays in revealing this answer, which is true but fairly tedious. Patullo will now be in charge of handing the ball off to Saquon Barkley. The first-time playcaller will also have to keep A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith happy. There are certainly first-time playcallers who have had less to work with, we guess we’re saying. Patullo has never called plays before, but he has walked through thousands of plays with Kellen Moore, Brian Johnson, and Shane Steichen throughout his four seasons as Eagles passing game coordinator. Normally we’d bet on the passing game coordinator to bring a more pass-focused game plan, but it’s hard to not lean on Saquon Barkley after how he played in 2024.

Patullo will take the job left vacant by Kellen Moore, who was hired as the Saints’ next head coach after Philly’s Super Bowl victory. He will be Jalen Hurts’ fourth offensive coordinator in as many years. Moore and Shane Steichen were hired away as head coaches while Brian Johnson was a one-and-done promotion from within. Patullo has never called plays at the NFL level but has been with the Eagles since 2021, working closely with Moore and head coach Nick Sirianni. Moore laid out the blueprint for Philly’s offense last year. If Patullo can keep the team’s explosive run game on track while also scheming up looks for A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the transition shouldn’t be an issue for the offense.

Patullo interviewed with the Jets for their offensive coordinator vacancy earlier in the cycle and came over with Nick Sirianni from the Colts in 2021. There will probably be interviews here rather than a straight elevation, but with Kellen Moore now in New Orleans, the Eagles offensive coordinator job becomes the only vacancy that would seem to have a shot at actually calling plays in 2025. Jones adds that Sirianni may want to take back the playcalling if they elevate Patullo.

New York fired Mike LaFleur this week after the Jets failed to score a single touchdown in their final three games and finished the season averaging the eighth fewest offensive yards per game. Patullo, the Colts’ pass game coordinator before being hired by the Eagles in 2021, would have the unenviable task of working with Zach Wilson if he lands the Jets job.