For the past four years, the job of Eagles offensive coordinator has been a high-risk, high-reward proposition. After only one year, you either get a head-coaching job — or you get fired.
The latest person to hold the job, Kevin Patullo, lasted only one year. So now, for the fifth straight offseason, the Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni are looking for yet another offensive coordinator.
Scroll through our Eagles team page. Plenty of interviews. No hire. And the process continues.
So what’s the problem? It’s the Eagles, one of the best teams in the NFL. They won the Super Bowl last year. They have talent. They have great ownership. They have one of the best front offices in the league.
They also have issues, some of which have come to light and some of which have not. The in-season report from Derrick Gunn still resonates. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, as Gunn put it, frustrated players and coaches by deviating from the plan and playing “his game.” And, given a contract that has taken full advantage of roster bonuses and voidable years for the purposes of keeping current-year cap numbers low, the structure makes it very difficult to move on from Hurts.
If that report is accurate, the next offensive coordinator will have a challenge. Whatever system or playbook he brings to the team, Hurts may nod and listen and understand and then go out and play “his game.” And the Eagles can’t do anything about it.
When it comes to Hurts, the options are fairly obvious for the Eagles. One, find a way to get him to run the plays as called and designed. Two, specifically design an offense that allows Hurts to play “his game.” Three, make the expectations to Hurts clear — and draft a quarterback in round two or three who can be developed and prepared to take over, if Hurts fails to do what the team wants him to do.
No one is rushing for that assignment, whatever the eventual approach may be. The job will entail plenty of pressure and scrutiny. If things go poorly, the offensive coordinator becomes the pin cushion. His house potentially becomes the target for eggs.
And, eventually, the offensive coordinator may end up being rewarded for his efforts to make it all work by getting fired.
Often, the perennially dysfunctional teams have a hard time attracting a head-coaching candidate with options. The non-dysfunctional Eagles may be having the same problem, thanks to the perception of dysfunction within the offense; folks with choices don’t seem to be rushing to choose to become the next offensive coordinator of the Eagles.
