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  • Eagles news: Cowboys hire away Birds defensive coach; Philly suddenly an outlier; coaching search updates and rumors

    Eagles news: Cowboys hire away Birds defensive coach; Philly suddenly an outlier; coaching search updates and rumors

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 5:41pm

    Ravens hire Chargers DC Jesse Minter as coach

    That leaves five openings across the NFL …

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 1:56pm

    Cooper DeJean expresses disappointment over losing Christian Parker

    Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean.

    It didn’t take long for Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean to express disappointment over news reports defensive backs coach Christian Parker was taking a job with the Dallas Cowboys.”

    “Mannnn,” DeJean wrote on social media. “They got a great one… would be the player I am without [Parker].”

    In his second season with the Eagles, DeJean earned an Associated Press first-team All-Pro nod alongside his teammate, rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

    Eagles reporter Jeff McLane wrote it was “only a matter of time” before the Eagles lost Parker, noting players “hold him in high regard.”

    In landing the job, Parker beat out another former Eagles coach who interviewed for the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator position – Jonathan Gannon, who is on the job market after being fired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 1:03pm

    Cowboys hire Eagles defensive coach Christian Parker: reports

    Christian Parker has served as the Eagles’ defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio the past two years.

    The Eagles are reportedly set to be on the market for a new defensive backs coach.

    Christian Parker, who has served in the role under Vic Fangio for the last two seasons, is expected to become the next Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator, according to multiple reports.

    Parker, 34, had become a hot commodity this offseason, as he was also reportedly set to interview for the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator vacancy.

    In a short span, Parker has helped develop a pair of young, standout cornerbacks in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both players earned their first All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods under Parker this season in just their second years.

    Parker will reportedly replace Matt Eberflus, whom the Cowboys fired in January after one season at the helm of one of the worst defenses in the organization’s history.

    — Olivia Reiner

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 1:01pm

    Brandon Graham thinks Birds need an ‘experienced’ offensive coordinator

    Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham.

    Eagles players past and present are among those weighing in on the team’s coaching vacancy.

    On The Rich Eisen Show, former Eagles defensive end and Super Bowl 52 champion Chris Long urged his former squad to hire a “cheat code” at offensive coordinator.

    “You need to hire a cheat code offensive coordinator. We talk about this thing a lot – bring somebody out of retirement, or find somebody who’s aged out,” said Long. “Find yourself a [former Saints and Raiders coach] Dennis Allen, because you have one on defense, and his name’s Vic Fangio. He’s not getting a head coaching job. He doesn’t want one.”

    Long later explained that the Eagles should hire a coordinator who will not leave for a head coaching vacancy to assist Hurts’ further development. Famously, Hurts has had nine offensive coordinators in ten years, a trend spanning back to his time at Alabama.

    Meanwhile Eagles legend Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement to play for the team last season, seems to agree.

    “I feel like you got to have someone that’s experienced,” Graham said on his podcast. “I like what someone said about a Vic Fangio [on offense] … You really do have to have that command. Because if A.J. [Brown] and all the guys that [were], you know, disgruntled last year, we got to get everybody believing it. …

    “I think a veteran person, or someone that got respect in the league will just have everybody kind of [have a] change in belief and get a re-energized feeling.”

    — Conor Smith

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 12:49pm

    Resetting the Eagles’ options at offensive coordinator

    Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter was a consultant when Nick Sirianni first got the Eagles job in 2021.

    One by one, offensive coordinator candidates that have been tied to the Eagles have been taken off the big board.

    The latest is Zac Robinson, who is finalizing a deal, according to multiple reports, to be the next coordinator in Tampa. Robinson, who interviewed with the Eagles, joins Mike McDaniel, who talked to the Eagles, as candidates who are no longer in the pool. McDaniel will head west to the Los Angeles Chargers.

    Another name to potentially cross off is Brian Daboll, who, according to The Athletic, wants to be the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills and otherwise plans to head to Tennessee to be the offensive coordinator under new defensive-minded head coach Robert Saleh.

    The Eagles are the only team that didn’t make a head coaching change to still have an offensive coordinator opening. Eight teams that fired their head coach still have an opening at offensive coordinator.

    Who’s left among the candidates the Eagles either interviewed or planned to? Another name popped up on the list Thursday morning. Let’s start there …

    Resetting the Eagles’ options at offensive coordinator: Declan Doyle, Jim Bob Cooter, and the other remaining names

    — Jeff Neiburg

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 9:17am

    Eagles will reportedly interview Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle

    Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.

    Add the NFL’s youngest offensive coordinator to the list of coaching candidates the Eagles are considering.

    The Birds, according to ESPN, requested to interview the 29-year-old Chicago Bears’ offensive coordinator. Doyle was hired by Ben Johnson last offseason after serving as the tight ends coach in Denver for the previous two seasons. The Iowa native and 2018 Iowa grad worked as a student assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2016 to 2018 and then was an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints from 2019 to 2022. Talk about a fast riser.

    Johnson, of course, has a big hand in the offense and calls plays for the Bears. But Doyle had a hand in the Bears’ sixth-ranked offense by yards per game. Chicago was 32nd a year ago. Johnson gets a lot of credit for that, but Doyle’s role can’t be

    Doyle has never been a play-caller, which makes him an outlier among the other candidates the Eagles have been in contact with. The Eagles seem to be targeting coaches with more experience than Doyle, but there is value in meeting and talking to a young coach like him. Even if it’s not for this job at this juncture.

    — Jeff Neiburg

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 8:43am

    The Eagles are suddenly an outlier

    Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie (left) and general manager Howie Roseman, seen here during the 2024 season.

    The Eagles are the only team with an existing head coach that is still searching for an offensive after the Buccaneers reportedly hired Zac Robinson (whom the Eagles also interviewed).

    The other four teams that made an offensive coordinator change this offseason: Lions (Drew Petzing), Chargers (Mike McDaniel), Chiefs (Eric Bienemy), Commanders (David Blough).

    There remain eight teams that have fired their head coach that still have offensive coordinator openings. Five – the Cardinals, Bills, Browns, Steelers, Ravens, and Raiders – have yet to hire head coaches, while the Dolphins and Titans have hired head coaches Jeff Hafley and Robert Saleh, who have yet to fill their offensive coordinator spots.

    The Giants, with new head coach John Harbaugh, will reportedly have Todd Monken as offensive coordinator. The Falcons, with Kevin Stefanski, will have Tommy Rees.

    — Jeff McLane

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 8:40am

    Another candidate passes on the Eagles as Zac Robinson lands with the Bucs

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 8:35am

    Latest on Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator

    The Eagles interviewed former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy Wednesday.

    It’s been about a week since the Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the Birds have been busy interviewing potential replacements.

    They just don’t seem to be having much luck landing their top candidates.

    Here are the offensive coordinator candidates the Eagles have already reportedly interviewed or are scheduled to meet with:

    — Rob Tornoe

    Remaining NFL head coaching vacancies

    Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula is looking for a new head coach after firing Sean McDermott.

    In an offseason that saw a record-tying 10 head coaching vacancies, just four have been filled.

    Here’s a look at the newest NFL head coaches:

    • Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski, former Browns head coach
    • Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh, former 49ers defensive coordinator
    • New York Giants: John Harbaugh, former Ravens head coach
    • Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley, former Packers defensive coordinator

    Here are the remaining head coaching vacancies across the league, and their former coaches:

    • Arizona Cardinals (Jonathan Gannon), Baltimore Ravens (John Harbaugh), Buffalo Bills (Sean McDermott), Cleveland Browns (Kevin Stefanski), Las Vegas Raiders (Pete Carroll), Pittsburgh Steelers (Mike Tomlin)

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/22/26 8:32am

  • What the advanced stats say about the Eagles’ starters on defense

    What the advanced stats say about the Eagles’ starters on defense

    The defense was a strength for the Eagles for most of the 2025 season, though not so much in their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

    The Eagles got to 11-6 and won the NFC East in part because of their ability to win low-scoring games. Their defense bailed out the offense in a few marquee victories, like their 10-7 win over Green Bay, their 16-9 victory over Detroit, and when they squeaked by Buffalo, 13-12.

    Eagles’ key offensive players were better (or worse) than you might have thought, the advanced stats say

    Vic Fangio’s unit lost a few key players from 2024 and dealt with an injured Jalen Carter, but still managed to finish fifth in points allowed per game despite a pretty tough schedule.

    What does that mean for 2026, with a handful of key players set to be back? Here’s one compelling advanced stat for each starter, the second in a two-part series that previously analyzed the offense:

    Quinyon Mitchell developed into one of the premier corners in the league in his second season.

    Quinyon Mitchell

    Let’s start with Mitchell, a first-team All-Pro selection in his second NFL season.

    Mitchell emerged as one of the best cover corners in the NFL in 2025, as evidenced by his 42.4% catch percentage allowed, according to Next Gen Stats, a mark that led all corners who played a full season. Mitchell is so good it’s worth including another number: He led all NFL corners with an average target separation of 1.8 yards.

    If you were ranking the list of spots on the depth chart you were least worried about, CB1 would probably be at the top.

    Cooper DeJean dominated the slot during an All-Pro season.

    Cooper DeJean

    From one All-Pro to another. DeJean was named first-team All-Pro at nickel, and it’s worth noting that because that distinction is a key one. The Eagles like DeJean in the slot, and DeJean said it’s a spot he’d probably like to remain in.

    Why? There’s enough data out there now to suggest that it’s his best spot.

    After logging just nine snaps at outside corner during his rookie season (1.5% of his total snaps), DeJean, whom the Eagles kept on the field in their base package, aligned outside on 30.1% of his snaps in 2025.

    He fared much better in the slot, where he allowed a .574 completion percentage and 5.9 yards per target, according to Next Gen. Both of those numbers ranked well below the league-average marks of .695 and 6.8, respectively. DeJean allowed a similar .588 completion percentage when he lined up outside, but his 10.9 yards per target ranked seventh among defenders to have faced at least 15 such targets. He was susceptible to the deep ball when facing top receivers outside.

    Just ask George Pickens.

    Adoree’ Jackson

    We’ll count Jackson as a starter since the Eagles played more nickel than base and needed another outside corner not named DeJean on the field quite often.

    It wasn’t always Jackson’s job. The second cornerback spot was a position with a lot of intrigue in training camp and even early in the season. It was Jackson’s job, then it wasn’t, then it was again.

    Jackson was targeted at a higher clip (26.5% of his coverage snaps) through the first eight weeks of the season than any other cornerback in the NFL. After that, though, Jackson was targeted on just 16.5% of his coverage snaps while allowing a completion percentage of .585, slightly below the league average. He did not give up a touchdown during his last five games of the regular season or the playoff game.

    Jackson, 30, is a free agent, and the Eagles may need a new cornerback opposite Mitchell next season. But Jackson’s play showed that even an aging and average player can be put in that spot, and the defense won’t fall apart, regardless of the preseason narrative about a certain spot on the depth chart.

    Zack Baun generally lived up to his rich new contract in 2025.

    Zack Baun

    Baun proved he wasn’t a one-year wonder in his second season with the Eagles, who plucked him out of free agency last offseason and turned a player who had mostly been an edge rusher and special teamer into one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL.

    Baun didn’t earn All-Pro honors like he did in 2024, but he was still really good in 2025. While his tackle total dropped from 151 to 123, his pass deflection number rose from four to seven, and he intercepted two passes in 2025, up from one in 2024. Pro Football Focus ranked Baun as the fifth-best linebacker in the NFL, and the second-best coverage linebacker.

    His ability to cover ground may be his best trait. Baun was seventh in the NFL with 17 hustle stops, which Next Gen Stats defines as a tackle during a successful defensive play when a player covers 20-plus yards of distance from snap to tackle.

    A quality 2025 season will serve Nakobe Dean well in his next contract.

    Nakobe Dean

    Has Dean played his last game with the Eagles? And, to that end, can Jihaad Campbell replace Dean’s production?

    Because Dean was pretty productive in 2025 after he worked his way back onto the field after surgery to repair a patellar tendon injury, which he suffered in the wild-card round a year ago.

    This is what the Eagles could be asking Campbell to replace should Dean not return: Dean’s catch percentage allowed of just 58.3% on targets ranked third among all NFL linebackers who played at least 200 snaps in coverage, according to Next Gen. And Dean was even better as a blitzer: He led all linebackers with a 40.7% pressure rate on his 27 pass rushes and got home for four sacks.

    Injuries prevented Jalen Carter from demonstrating his full effectiveness for the NFC East champs.

    Jalen Carter

    The Eagles will be hoping Carter’s step back is easily explained by the shoulder injuries that limited his production and caused him to miss three games after undergoing procedures on both shoulders in late November.

    Carter, according to Next Gen, had a career-low 7.7% pressure rate on the year despite facing fewer double teams (41.7%) than he ever has. Carter generated five pressures against 158 double teams after tallying 12 in 2023 and 15 in 2024. His average time to sack also dropped to 5.32 seconds from 4.85 year over year.

    Notably, after Carter returned following his three-game break, he had five pressures and a sack vs. Buffalo and the same output in the playoff loss vs. San Francisco.

    Will the shoulder injuries be revisited in the offseason? Will Carter’s slide allow the Eagles to secure him on a long-term deal at a lower price? Lots of intrigue there.

    The emergence of Jordan Davis was one of the Eagles’ best stories of the year.

    Jordan Davis

    Davis was a revelation for the Eagles in 2025, and a big reason that the defense was so successful even as Carter’s play declined a bit.

    Davis showed up to camp in much better shape and improved his play in every area. Mainly relied on as a run stopper in the past, Davis showed his pass rushing chops in 2025. Entering the year, Davis had just 3½ sacks on 559 pass rushes through his first three NFL seasons. This season, Davis racked up 4½ sacks on 355 pass rushes.

    The run-stopping ability didn’t go away even though he showed up in July a little more svelte. Davis, according to Next Gen, had a career-high 50 run stops (run defenses that result in a negative play for the offense), which was second among all defensive linemen this season.

    Davis is in line for an extension, and his play in 2025 earned him a big new deal that will probably come from the Eagles.

    Jaelan Phillips played well but was not a sack machine for the Eagles.

    Jaelan Phillips

    Phillips helped steady the Eagles’ pass rush after he joined the team at the trade deadline, but while he and Jalyx Hunt formed an elite pass-rushing duo — their 61 combined pressures from Week 10 through Week 17 ranked fourth during that span — he had trouble converting his pressures into sacks.

    Phillips led the Eagles with 34 pressures after joining the team, but he turned just two of those into a sack. His 5.9% pressure-to-sack conversion rate, according to Next Gen, ranked 10th-lowest among 97 defenders to have generated at least 15 pressures after the trade deadline. Some of that is bad luck. Fangio talks often about the importance of pressures and not getting too hyper-focused on sack numbers.

    But the Eagles need a top-end talent at the top of the depth chart to pair with Hunt since Phillips is a free agent. Phillips wants to be back. Is the feeling mutual? We’ll see when free agency arrives.

    Jalyx Hunt made an impact as a member of the linebacker rotation in 2025.

    Jalyx Hunt

    Hunt became the first player in Eagles history to lead the team in sacks (6½) and interceptions (3).

    That’s an impressive stat, but this is a compilation of advanced numbers, so let’s point to this one instead: Hunt ranked seventh among all edge rushers who had at least 100 pass rushing snaps with a quarterback pressure rate of 17.3%.

    The 2024 third-round pick broke out in a big way in his second NFL season, and the Eagles used his safety background to drop him into coverage with success.

    Reed Blankenship was a team leader but the record shows that he struggled at times in coverage.

    Reed Blankenship

    Blankenship has been a leader on the defense for the last few seasons, but he’s now a free agent and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be back next season.

    Blankenship has been solid against the run, but he’s not great in pass coverage when he’s targeted. After a 2024 season in which he ranked fifth-worst among safeties with at least 500 coverage snaps with an 81.3% completion percentage allowed, Blankenship had the eighth-worst passer rating allowed (116.8) in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.

    It’s unclear what Blankenship’s market will look like in free agency, but it’s a position the Eagles could probably stand to upgrade.

    Drew Mukuba’s return from a broken fibula figures to be a training camp storyline.

    Drew Mukuba

    Mukuba’s first season in the NFL was incomplete. The second-round pick was lost for the season after suffering a fractured fibula in the waning moments of a Week 12 loss to Dallas.

    Mukuba wasn’t targeted often in coverage. Before his injury, he was targeted on just 4.2% of his snaps, according to Next Gen. That ranked fifth-lowest among all defenders in the NFL with a minimum of 150 coverage snaps. But when he was targeted, it was on deep balls. He had the fifth-highest total in yards per target allowed (13.5).

  • Reports: Top OC picks Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll spurn Eagles. Are they ‘dumb,’ ‘stupid,’ or justified?

    Reports: Top OC picks Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll spurn Eagles. Are they ‘dumb,’ ‘stupid,’ or justified?

    Jake Rosenberg is Howie Roseman‘s former salary cap wizard who left the Eagles two years ago for greener pastures. Rosenberg now is a consultant for college athletes and administrators, as well as a headhunter for doctors. Quite the CV.

    He’s also a hardy tweeter.

    On Tuesday night, after Brian Daboll interviewed with the Eagles for the vacant offensive coordinator position, Rosenberg quote-tweeted a report from The Athletic’s NFL reporter, Diana Russini, refuting her answer to a question posed during her appearance on 94-WIP’s afternoon show that painted the Eagles’ job as unattractive: “I think coordinators on this list are aware that navigating Philly is difficult.”

    Rosenberg, a fiery sort, called both the question and the answer “dumb,” as he issued what you would have to assume was a state-sanctioned response, with a list of nine reasons.

    Cleaned up from its Twitter-speak abbreviations, the post read thus:

    “Ask dumb questions get dumb answers. …

    “1. Talent at skills positions and quarterback. 2. Market. 3. Head coach with five straight playoff appearances and two Super Bowl appearances. 4. Two offensive coordinators who got head coaching jobs. 5. Best GM in league. 6. Max prime-time games. 7. Offensive line. 8. Draft resources. 9. (Generous) Ownership.

    “I’m sure an OC wouldn’t want this job. So stupid.”

    Marcus Hayes: Sean McDermott’s firing could make Eagles’ pursuit of Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll for OC much harder

    Minutes before Rosenberg’s post, Russini, among others, reported that Mike McDaniel would take the Chargers’ OC job if he didn’t get one of the head-coaching jobs still in play.

    A league source said Wednesday that McDaniel made his decision after a lengthy virtual interview with the Eagles early this week.

    On Wednesday morning, Russini, among others, reported that Daboll would take the OC job in Tennessee if he wasn’t hired as Sean McDermott’s replacement as the Bills’ head coach. Whatever happened in Philly on Tuesday convinced Daboll by Wednesday that Nashville and Buffalo were better places for him.

    If the reports are correct, it’s a scathing indictment on what appears to be a prime NFL job. Until you look a little closer.

    Then you see the cracks in the Eagles’ foundation, and you realize:

    Maybe it’s not so prime.

    Counterpoints

    The QB

    The Eagles aren’t the only team with QB talent. Bills star Josh Allen and Chargers starter Justin Herbert are simply better than Jalen Hurts. Cam Ward, the No. 1 overall pick by the Titans in 2025, has a much higher ceiling than Hurts has ever displayed.

    Yes, Hurts is the reigning Super Bowl MVP, but he has arm strength that is no better than average. After five seasons as a starter he’s shown himself to be slow to process what defenses present him, and often he is blind to open receivers. After several injuries including a late-season concussion in 2024, he is ever more reluctant to run, which, in his first four seasons, was his superpower. Also, in an era of 6-foot-4 passers he’s just 6-foot-1. As we all know, every inch counts.

    The Philly experience

    Yes, Philadelphia is a big, vibrant market, but lately that passion has boiled over into abuse. The environment for any coordinator or head coach in Philadelphia is especially toxic. It takes a thick skin to survive a fan base that has treated the last two defensive coordinators and two of the last three offensive coordinators horribly. A few days after a Black Friday home loss, Eagles fans egged the house of former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

    Eagles’ key offensive players were better (or worse) than you might have thought, the advanced stats say

    The toxicity is driven by two sports talk radio shows and endless podcasts and local TV shows, an ecosystem of which I am a part as a host on 94-WIP. It also is driven by a print and online press corps, also of which I am a part. Finally, it is driven by a hot-take national media industry, mainly podcasts and analyst gaggles, populated mostly by retired athletes and coaches who recklessly farm engagement.

    The combination creates a stressful situation that would affect any human being, as well as his family. None of that is going to change, but, given a choice, you can understand why some candidates would decline to engage with the unique Philadelphia experience.

    The GM

    Roseman might be the best GM in the NFL over the last nine years, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to have the best roster in 2026. Any top OC candidate is looking at the Eagles job as a one-year stepping stone to the 2027 cycle of head-coaching vacancies. The 2026 Eagles are richly talented on paper, but they are saddled with far more questions than answers.

    Which Eagles should Stay or Go next season? Swipe and decide.

    Further, the Eagles could not land their top candidates when they hired both Nick Sirianni in 2021 and Doug Pederson in 2016. One big obstacle: Eagles head coaches have little say over roster construction, and Roseman can be difficult to work with.

    Why would this matter to an offensive coordinator hire? Because, if the offense shines in 2026 but the team does poorly, Sirianni could be fired. His OC would be considered for the vacancy — a vacancy made less attractive by Roseman’s imposing presence.

    Head coach

    While Sirianni has made the playoffs in each of his five seasons in Philly, he’s also suffered unceremonious defeats in three of those playoff trips. He also has displayed an inability to control his emotions, which causes distractions, whether it’s with his players, like A.J. Brown or Jalen Carter, or with fans, both home and away.

    And, while it might have been entertaining, pairing Sirianni with a combustible coach like Daboll would have been like smoking a cigarette in a gunpowder factory.

    Offensive line

    When healthy and rested, left tackle Jordan Mailata, left guard Landon Dickerson, center Cam Jurgens, and right tackle Lane Johnson are the best combination in the business. However, Dickerson, Jurgens, and Johnson have lingering, if not chronic, health concerns.

    The owner

    Jeffrey Lurie is generous and supportive, but he can be … a lot.

    Mostly through Roseman, Lurie monitors the day-to-day machinations of the team more closely than most owners, more often than not watching practice at Roseman’s hip. Also, after every game, Lurie talks with Sirianni and sometimes with other coaches, very extensively, usually before Sirianni addresses the press — a delay of an hour or more from the game’s end.

    Mike Sielski: Nick Sirianni may have figured out how to last as the Eagles’ head coach. Here’s his secret.

    Other owners talk to their coaches, too, but not to this degree.

    Again, for better or worse, anyone who succeeds Sirianni as head coach will be subjected to these weekly postgame interrogations.

    Other issues

    Brown might be the best receiver in Eagles history, but he is, without question, the most distracting. His constant public complaining the past two years, especially on social media, prompted Lurie to publicly reprimand him during a practice in November.

    Also, Brown often did not complete routes and did not make catches he usually makes, particularly in the wild-card playoff loss to the visiting 49ers.

    When asked last week if he planned to trade Brown, Roseman did not say that he would not, despite the crippling salary-cap repercussions that would accompany any trade or cut.

    Regardless, the new OC will inherit the fallout of Brown’s seasons of discontent.

    Other issues include the drop-off in production from Saquon Barkley and the fact that the Birds have no frontline tight end under contract, but these are issues that will accompany most positions.

    The rest of the issues?

    They paint a much less appealing picture.

  • Jason Kelce says Broncos QB situation is different than ’17 Eagles; Greg Olsen praises Nick Sirianni on ‘New Heights’

    Jason Kelce says Broncos QB situation is different than ’17 Eagles; Greg Olsen praises Nick Sirianni on ‘New Heights’

    On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, Jason and Travis Kelce offered their takes on the latest NFL news as the conference championships approach this Sunday.

    The brothers brought in Greg Olsen, who reflected on Monday’s College Football Playoff championship as a former University of Miami tight end before his NFL and broadcasting careers. Olsen also joined the conversation about open coaching positions.

    Olsen praises Sirianni

    Although the Eagles season is over, former center Jason Kelce still brought up the Birds in this week’s episode. Olsen had some words of admiration for coach Nick Sirriani.

    “I love Sirianni,” the Fox analyst said. “I actually texted him because I ran into his brother at the Miami game. I know he gets a lot of flack, and people want to come after him, but I love him, his energy, his edge, and I love the way he manages the game. I ended up fighting the entire universe on behalf of him a couple weeks ago. But that was a losing proposition.”

    The argument for Brian Daboll — and Zac Robinson (and even Matt Nagy) — as Eagles’ next play-caller | David Murphy

    Olsen also emphasized the opportunity for the Eagles in hiring a new offensive coordinator.

    “If I’m an offensive play-caller, I’m doing everything in my power to get that job,” Olsen said. “I want to call offensive plays in Philadelphia because you can do whatever you want. That’s a great job.”

    Could Jarrett Stidham play his way to his own statue in Denver, like Nick Foles did in Philly?

    Foles in Twitter controversy

    On the topic of the AFC championship game, the brothers discussed the Denver Broncos’ chances against the New England Patriots. With starting quarterback Bo Nix out with an ankle injury, backup Jarrett Stidham is expected to battle against Patriots signal caller Drake Maye. Stidham has not thrown a pass all season.

    Travis Kelce joked about a viral tweet on Sunday from former Eagles backup Nick Foles, which received 17.4 million views. Foles referenced the 2018 Super Bowl, in which he led the Eagles to a 41-33 victory over New England as he subbed for injured starter Carson Wentz.

    However, Jason Kelce wasn’t convinced that the Broncos quarterback predicament is anything similar to what he went through with the Eagles in 2018.

    “I still remember when Wentz went down, and you could hear a pin drop in the locker room because we knew that his ACL was torn after the game,” Kelce said. “We were like, ‘We just lost our starting quarterback, how are we going to overcome this?’ It took a couple games. That’s the one thing that Stidham doesn’t have. We got the rest of the season and [Foles] warmed into that role. … It’ll be interesting to see what [Broncos coach] Sean Payton has [cooked up] this coming week against the Patriots.”

  • Eagles news: Birds reportedly interview ex-Chiefs coach; Daboll and McDaniel pass on Philly; coaching search updates and rumors

    Eagles news: Birds reportedly interview ex-Chiefs coach; Daboll and McDaniel pass on Philly; coaching search updates and rumors

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 3:28pm

    Eagles interview Matt Nagy: reports

    Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

    After failing to land two of their top candidates, the Eagles interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy Wednesday, according to multiple reports.

    A one-time Eagles quarterback (he spent one morning as a third-stringer) who grew up in the Lancaster area, Nagy spent the past four seasons in Kansas City, three as the Chiefs offensive coordinator. It was his second stint in Kansas City, which sandwiched his four-year tenure as head coach of the Chicago Bears.

    Nagy got his coaching start with the Eagles in 2008 under Andy Reid as an intern, moving up to offensive quality control coach before following him to Kansas City.

    Considered a front-runner for the Tennessee Titans head coaching job that ultimately went to Robert Saleh, Nagy has also reportedly interviewed with the Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens.

    Nagy’s contract with the Chiefs expired at the end of the season, and Kansas City plans to bring back former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to replace him, according to multiple reports.

    From 2019: Why Matt Nagy spent one morning as an Eagles backup quarterback

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 3:02pm

    Are McDaniel and Daboll ‘dumb,’ ‘stupid,’ or justified to avoid Philly?

    Yes, Philadelphia is a big, vibrant market, but lately that passion has boiled over into abuse.

    Jake Rosenberg is Howie Roseman‘s former salary cap wizard who left the Eagles two years ago for greener pastures. Rosenberg now is a consultant for college athletes and administrators, as well as a headhunter for doctors. Quite the CV.

    He’s also a hardy tweeter.

    On Tuesday night, after Brian Daboll interviewed with the Eagles for the vacant offensive coordinator position, Rosenberg quote-tweeted a report from The Athletic’s NFL reporter, Diana Russini, refuting her answer to a question posed during her appearance on 94-WIP’s afternoon show that painted the Eagles’ job as unattractive: “I think coordinators on this list are aware that navigating Philly is difficult.”

    Rosenberg, a fiery sort, called both the question and the answer “dumb,” as he issued what you would have to assume was a state-sanctioned response, with a list of nine reasons.

    Minutes before Rosenberg’s post, Russini, among others, reported that Mike McDaniel would take the Chargers’ OC job if he didn’t get one of the head-coaching jobs still in play.

    He never even granted the Eagles an interview.

    On Wednesday morning, Russini, among others, reported that Daboll would take the OC job in Tennessee if he wasn’t hired as Sean McDermott’s replacement as the Bills’ head coach. Whatever happened in Philly on Tuesday convinced Daboll by Wednesday that Nashville and Buffalo were better places for him.

    If the reports are correct, it’s a scathing indictment on what appears to be a prime NFL job. Until you look a little closer.

    Then you see the cracks in the Eagles’ foundation, and you realize:

    Maybe it’s not so prime. Here are some counterpoints:

    Reports: Top OC picks Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll spurn Eagles. Are they ‘dumb,’ ‘stupid,’ or justified?

    — Marcus Hayes

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 1:08pm

    Fox’s Greg Olsen praises Nick Sirianni, calls Eagles opening ‘a great job’

    Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, seen before a game in November.

    On Wednesday’s episode of New Heights, Jason and Travis Kelce offered their takes on the latest NFL news as the conference championships approach this Sunday.

    The brothers brought in Fox analyst Greg Olsen, who among other things had some words of admiration for coach Nick Sirriani.

    “I love Sirianni,” Olsen said. “I actually texted him because I ran into his brother at the Miami game. I know he gets a lot of flack, and people want to come after him, but I love him, his energy, his edge, and I love the way he manages the game. I ended up fighting the entire universe on behalf of him a couple weeks ago. But that was a losing proposition.”

    Olsen also emphasized the opportunity for the Eagles in hiring a new offensive coordinator.

    “If I’m an offensive play-caller, I’m doing everything in my power to get that job,” Olsen said. “I want to call offensive plays in Philadelphia because you can do whatever you want. That’s a great job.”

    Jason Kelce says Broncos QB situation is different than ’17 Eagles; Greg Olsen praises Nick Sirianni on ‘New Heights’

    — Gabriela Carroll

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 12:00pm

    Eagles appear to have missed out on two top coaching candidates

    Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (left) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll.

    With Mike McDaniel heading to the Chargers and signs increasingly pointing Brian Daboll toward the Bills’ head coaching job or Titans’ offensive coordinator job, as reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Eagles would have missed out on two of their top OC candidates and two of the top names around the league.

    The Eagles met with McDaniel virtually, as PHLY’s EJ Smith wrote, per league sources. It wasn’t a formal interview, but it was an in-depth conversation.

    McDaniel and Daboll would have been given autonomy over the offense, sources said. There are a few remaining candidates that would have leverage to get authority, but that doesn’t mean Nick Sirianni won’t hand over the offense, depending upon the coach.

    The Eagles have cast a large net, one seemingly larger with McDaniel and Daboll unlikely, and thus the process will continue.

    — Jeff McLane

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 10:47am

    McDaniel’s decision shows the Eagles are casting a big net for a reason

    Mike McDaniel is moving to Los Angeles to become the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator.

    We now know why there wasn’t much smoke about Mike McDaniel and the Eagles.

    McDaniel to the Los Angeles Chargers was pretty much a fait accompli. And for good reason. The Chargers have pretty much everything a play-caller could hope for:

    • A franchise quarterback who has yet to reach his ceiling and has as much all-around talent as anybody in the NFL.
    • Two young All-Pro-caliber offensive tackles.
    • A head coach with massive credibility.
    • An offense that hasn’t come close to producing what it is capable of.
    • An indoor stadium.
    • A home city that is one of the best places in America for a rich person to live.

    The big question now is where the Eagles rank as a landing spot among the remaining teams looking for play-callers.

    A recent report from ESPN’s Diana Russini suggested Brian Daboll will head to Tennessee to serve as play-caller under new head coach Robert Saleh, provided he doesn’t land the Bills head coaching job. We’ll see how that plays out. The one advantage the Titans might have over the Eagles is a defensive-minded head coach who is less of a threat to meddle. But that’s really not worth diving into at this point.

    The Eagles clearly have a lot of things going in their favor, but it will be interesting to see if their job is as attractive as all of us would have considered it to be at this time last year. Aside from the perception of Nick Sirianni’s potential involvement in game-planning and play-calling, the Eagles have some big question marks in Lane Johnson and A.J. Brown, the two of whom have been as responsible for the Eagles’ success as anybody on the roster outside of Jalen Hurts.

    From the outside looking in, you can argue the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a more attractive situation than the Eagles. Todd Bowles is a defensive head coach who had two straight OCs quickly become head coaches in Dave Canales and Liam Cohen. They have a quarterback (Baker Mayfield), a solid offensive line, and tons of skill position talent.

    The Eagles’ big advantage is their organizational resources, including a personnel department that has established itself as one of the best in the game over the last half decade or so. But they are casting a wide net for a reason. It’s a candidate’s labor market right now.

    — David Murphy

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 9:58am

    Eagles not expected to land Brian Daboll: The Athletic

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 9:44am

    Baker Mayfield renews rivalry with new Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

    Philly native Kevin Stefanski picked the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job over the Eagles offensive coordinator decision, and in doing so renewed a rivalry between one of his former quarterbacks.

    Current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was the starter in Cleveland when Stefanski was first hired as Browns head coach in 2020. But after two seasons and a knee injury, the Browns traded Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers and acquired Deshaun Watson in a since-mocked deal Cleveland is still trying to recover from.

    Fast forward to Tuesday. D. Orlando Ledbetter, the Falcons beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, wrote a piece titled, “Falcons’ Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland.”

    That didn’t sit well with Mayfield, who called Ledbetter’s premise “a reach” and revealed Stefanski never reached out after the trade.

    “Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach,” Mayfield wrote.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 8:11am

    Brian Daboll to interview with Bills: reports

    Brian Daboll was interviewed by the Eagles Tuesday.

    One day after interviewing for the Eagles offensive coordinator job, Brian Daboll will reportedly meet with the Buffalo Bills for their head coaching vacancy, first reported by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

    Before his four-year stint as the New York Giants head coach, Daboll spent four seasons as the Bills offensive coordinator, where he’s credited with the development of MVP Josh Allen.

    The Bills are also reportedly interviewing:

    • Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady
    • Washington Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn
    • Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo
    • Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski 
    • Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 7:51am

    Bills interviewing Commanders coach: ESPN

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 7:49am

    Mike McDaniel takes Chargers job, crossed off Eagles list

    Mike McDaniel is headed to the Los Angeles Chargers.

    In the end, the Eagles couldn’t even get him in for an interview.

    Former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is moving to the West Coast to take the open offensive coordinator job with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to multiple reports.

    McDaniel was reportedly one of the Eagles top candidates to replace Kevin Patullo and turn around the Birds stagnant offense. But he ultimately chose Justin Herbert and Jim Harbaugh over Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 7:40am

    An argument for Matt Nagy

    Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.

    An observation about the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff: 2025 was the first year Jalen Hurts wasn’t surrounded by former quarterbacks.

    Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore were both Division I starters in college. They both had assistants who were NFL backups. Under both, Hurts finished with a passer rating above 100 and went to a Super Bowl.

    Correlation doesn’t equal causation. Andy Reid was an offensive lineman. Bright offensive minds come in all shapes and sizes.

    But I’m not necessarily talking about scheme here. I’m talking about the other important parts of coaching: teaching, explaining, understanding, conveying. McVay and Shanahan are outliers, given their upbringing, which was so rich it barely needs introduction. (McVay, the grandson of 49ers executive John McVay, was once hired by Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father.) Otherwise, it’s only natural that former quarterbacks would have an edge in understanding how a current quarterback sees the field. Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton … all former quarterbacks.

    Which makes Matt Nagy a guy the Eagles should talk to.

    He certainly wouldn’t win the headline battle. But he’s a former quarterback (Delaware) with plenty of experience who got a bit of a bum rap during his four-year stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Nagy went 25-13 in the 38 games that Mitch Trubisky started for him. That looks even more impressive in hindsight than it did at the time.

    The argument for Brian Daboll — and Zac Robinson (and even Matt Nagy) — as Eagles’ next play-caller

    — David Murphy

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 7:35am

    Latest on Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator

    Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, seen here with Jalen Hurts following a playoff game in Jan. 2024.

    It’s been about a week since the Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the Birds have been busy interviewing potential replacements.

    That includes former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was interviewed by the Eagles Tuesday, according to Jeff McLane.

    “Daboll is clearly a top target for team brass,” McLane wrote. “There is also internal support to bring in someone who would make significant changes to the offense.”

    Here are the offensive coordinator candidates the Eagles have already reportedly interviewed or are scheduled to meet with:

    And here are some coaches the Eagles have either reached out to interview or plan to bring in:

    — Rob Tornoe

    Remaining NFL head coaching vacancies

    John Harbaugh was introduced as a new head coach of the Giants Tuesday.

    In an offseason that saw 10 head coaching vacancies (tying an NFL record last reached in 2022), four have already been filled.

    Here’s a look at the newest NFL head coaches:

    • Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski, former Browns head coach
    • Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh, former 49ers defensive coordinator
    • New York Giants: John Harbaugh, former Ravens head coach
    • Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley, former Packers defensive coordinator

    Here are the remaining head coaching vacancies across the league, and their former coaches:

    • Arizona Cardinals (Jonathan Gannon), Baltimore Ravens (John Harbaugh), Buffalo Bills (Sean McDermott), Cleveland Browns (Kevin Stefanski), Las Vegas Raiders (Pete Carroll), Pittsburgh Steelers (Mike Tomlin)

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/21/26 7:30am

  • The argument for Brian Daboll — and Zac Robinson (and even Matt Nagy) — as Eagles’ next play-caller

    The argument for Brian Daboll — and Zac Robinson (and even Matt Nagy) — as Eagles’ next play-caller

    An observation about the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff: 2025 was the first year Jalen Hurts wasn’t surrounded by former quarterbacks.

    It’s something the Eagles should keep in mind, especially if Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel both land head coaching jobs … or if they both opt for one of the other 73 coordinator positions currently open across the league. (ESPN reported Tuesday night that McDaniel is expected to be hired as the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator.) Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore were both Division I starters in college. They both had assistants who were NFL backups. Under both, Hurts finished with a passer rating above 100 and went to a Super Bowl.

    Correlation doesn’t equal causation. Nor should it equal a strike against Daboll or McDaniel as the Eagles look to hire an offensive coordinator who can revitalize their stagnant scheme. Neither man came up as a quarterback. Daboll played safety at Rochester. McDaniel was a wide receiver (at Yale), just like Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay and Josh McDaniels and Joe Brady (and Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo). Andy Reid was an offensive lineman. Bright offensive minds come in all shapes and sizes.

    But I’m not necessarily talking about scheme here. I’m talking about the other important parts of coaching: teaching, explaining, understanding, conveying. McVay and Shanahan are outliers, given their upbringing, which was so rich it barely needs introduction. (McVay, the grandson of 49ers executive John McVay, was once hired by Mike Shanahan, Kyle’s father.) Otherwise, it’s only natural that former quarterbacks would have an edge in understanding how a current quarterback sees the field. Ben Johnson, Liam Coen, Kevin O’Connell, Sean Payton … all former quarterbacks.

    Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is a candidate for the Eagles’ job at offensive coordinator, although they have not spoken to him yet.

    Again, nothing against the wide receivers (or safeties). McDaniel is clearly the guy every team should have at the top of its list for lead play-calling duties. He went 31-24 with Tua Tagovailoa as his starting quarterback. Nobody schemes the running game better. The Eagles have yet to corral him for an interview, and maybe they won’t. But only because he has better opportunities.

    As for Daboll, he would be an easy choice to snicker at. Hard Knocks did him no favors. But the former New York Giants head coach would make a lot of sense. He is still well-regarded in Buffalo, where he oversaw Josh Allen’s transformation from a raw, erratic bust-in-waiting to one of the most singularly impactful quarterbacks in the game. He also could be around for a while if he misses out on a head coaching gig in the current cycle.

    Both Daboll and McDaniel bring with them the kind of experience that the Eagles lacked in 2023 and 2025 with first-time play-callers Patullo and Brian Johnson (the latter a former quarterback). The biggest weakness of this year’s coaching staff wasn’t just a lack of experience on Patullo’s part: It was a lack of experience behind him, particularly at the game’s most important position.

    Eagles need more than a new coordinator to revamp their offense

    Eagles quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler never took a snap in his four years at Michigan during the mid-’90s. Passing game coordinator Parks Frazier attempted 127 passes at Murray State. Quality control coach Montgomery VanGorder attempted 275 at Youngstown State. Combined, that’s a grand total of two seasons of lower-level collegiate starting experience and zero snaps at the FBS level.

    Compare that to Hurts’ support system in the halcyon days of 2022.

    Steichen played four years at UNLV (465 pass attempts). Johnson played four years at Utah (1,017 pass attempts). Alex Tanney spent nine years as an NFL backup after starring at Monmouth.

    Two years later, the Eagles turned their offense over to Moore, a former Heisman Trophy finalist who starred at Boise State. Quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier spent five years as an NFL backup after winning the Walter Payton Award, as the most outstanding offensive player in what was then known as Division 1-AA, at Idaho.

    Former Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is expected to have several offers.

    The Eagles were behind the eight ball when Moore left to become the New Orleans Saints’ head coach and took Nussmeier with him as his offensive coordinator. Thanks to their Super Bowl run, Sirianni and Howie Roseman had a thin market in which to find their replacements. The same thing happened on the defensive side of the ball post-2022 when Jonathan Gannon left for Arizona. Underlying the cliché and mythical Super Bowl curse are some very real variables.

    This time around, the world is the Eagles’ oyster. They’ve already interviewed Mike Kafka and Zac Robinson, both former NFL draft picks at quarterback. Neither has the sort of profile that fans are coveting, but Robinson in particular has an intriguing background. The Atlanta Falcons played some surprisingly competent football this season, scoring 24-plus points in nine games, two more than the Eagles. They finished ahead of the Eagles in yards per play and net yards per pass attempt in each of the last two seasons that Robinson spent as offensive coordinator after his stint on the staff of kingmaker McVay.

    Nick Sirianni’s forceful vote of confidence from Howie Roseman

    Robinson will presumably have multiple offers. There are plenty of intriguing situations out there: the Chargers under Jim Harbaugh and with Justin Herbert unless McDaniel has already taken that job, the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson, the Tampa Bay Bucs with Baker Mayfield and a deep offensive depth chart. Never before has the NFL seen this level of upheaval in a single offseason. Half of the league has an opening at offensive coordinator.

    Which makes Matt Nagy a guy the Eagles should talk to.

    He certainly wouldn’t win the headline battle. But he’s a former quarterback (Delaware) with plenty of experience who got a bit of a bum rap during his four-year stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears. Nagy went 25-13 in the 38 games that Mitch Trubisky started for him. That looks even more impressive in hindsight than it did at the time.

    Whomever the Eagles hire, their top priority should be bolstering the experience of the staff beneath him. Coaching can overcome personnel issues only to a certain extent. But Hurts isn’t going anywhere, and we’ve seen way more out of him than we saw in 2025. The right guy for the job isn’t just a great schemer. He is a communicator and an edifier, and he’ll know how to build a support system that is heavy on both traits.

  • Eagles’ key offensive players were better (or worse) than you might have thought, the advanced stats say

    Eagles’ key offensive players were better (or worse) than you might have thought, the advanced stats say

    For most of the season, the 2025 Eagles offense did not pass the eye test.

    Execution errors plagued them. The Eagles suffered from negative plays and penalties on early downs, setting themselves up for third-and-longs and ultimately forcing them to punt early and often. Options were seemingly limited in the passing game. Rushing lanes failed to open for a previously dynamic running game.

    But what do the underlying numbers reveal about the offense’s performance that could have implications going forward? Here’s one compelling advanced stat about each notable offensive starter, the first installment in a two-part series that will also analyze the defense:

    Jalen Hurts ran less, and was less effective when throwing downfield, but was still good on designed runs.

    Jalen Hurts

    One stat alone can’t sum up the season for Hurts, who plays the most important position on the team. So, let’s dissect two.

    First, the rushing component of his previously self-described “triple-threat” ability seemingly went by the wayside this season. Hurts, 27, averaged a career-low 1.7 designed rushing attempts per game this year, according to Next Gen Stats. That’s a notable decrease from his 2024 averages — 3.2 during the regular season and 3.8 during the Eagles’ four-game Super Bowl run.

    Even though he had fewer designed carries this year, he wasn’t any less effective. On 27 designed runs, he collected 143 yards and nine first downs, including a touchdown, good for 5.3 yards per carry (his career average is 5.2).

    Here’s the $255 million question: Why the decrease? Was it a matter of preserving the franchise quarterback, as Nick Sirianni suggested, or was it just a symptom of Kevin Patullo’s offense, as Hurts said? Will this trend persist in 2026, or will Hurts be called upon to use his legs to help invigorate the offense once more?

    Second, the downfield passing game wasn’t nearly as effective for the Eagles in 2025, which hindered an already limited air attack. Hurts completed 47.9% of his downfield passes (10-plus air yards), according to Next Gen Stats, the lowest percentage of his five seasons as the starter.

    Wins and losses were often reflected in his downfield completion rates. In the Eagles’ five losses this season (not including Week 18), Hurts went 10-of-17 for 233 yards, a touchdown, and an interception (58.8% completion rate) when targeting open receivers (at least three yards of separation) downfield.

    His 65.6% completion rate when targeting open receivers downfield this year was roughly 25 percentage points lower than last season’s (89.3%). Again, can the next Eagles offensive coordinator reverse this trend and improve Hurts’ downfield accuracy in 2026?

    The Eagles were fond of one specific kind of route for A.J. Brown.

    A.J. Brown

    At his end-of-season news conference, Sirianni noted that the next offensive coordinator will help “evolve” the offense. Perhaps that person will refresh the Eagles’ route concepts.

    Brown, 28, ran a hitch route on a career-high 24.9% of his total routes run, according to Next Gen Stats. A hitch is a short route that starts vertical, then requires the receiver to plant his foot and turn toward the quarterback for a pass. Brown’s hitch rate this season was the eighth-highest among receivers who ran at least 200 routes.

    Despite the lack of variety in his routes, Brown was still effective when targeted on those hitches. He collected 263 receiving yards and a touchdown on hitch routes, which ranked second in the league behind Dallas’ George Pickens (275).

    Brown wasn’t the only Eagles receiver who ran a lot of hitches. The entire group ran hitch routes on 22.1% of its combined routes, which was the second-highest single-season rate by a receiving corps since 2016 (23.4% for the 2019 Chicago Bears).

    DeVonta Smith showed he was more than merely a slot receiver in 2025.

    DeVonta Smith

    Smith may primarily line up as a slot receiver, but he was most effective when split out wide this season.

    The 27-year-old receiver aligned in the slot on a career-high 57.1% of his routes, according to Next Gen Stats. Still, he posted career bests when he lined up outside in yards per route run (3.1) and yards per target (11.9). Smith trailed only Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (3.8) and the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua (3.6) in yards per route run from the outside among 89 receivers (minimum 150 routes).

    His yards per target increased when split out wide to the right. He averaged 13.9 yards per target from that alignment, which led receivers (with at least 20 targets). Smith was particularly efficient downfield, as he caught 12 of 17 targets for 300 yards and a touchdown (17.6 yards per target).

    Will his efficiency on the outside change how frequently he lines up in the slot going forward?

    When the Eagles could prevent defenses from blowing up the backfield, the numbers show that Saquon Barkley was as effective as ever.

    Saquon Barkley

    Barkley eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for a second consecutive season (1,140), but he didn’t come anywhere close to his total of 2,005 from 2024.

    He didn’t get much help up front. According to Next Gen Stats, Barkley took hits behind the line of scrimmage on 47.1% of his carries, which was the ninth-highest rate among 49 running backs (minimum 100 attempts) this season.

    By comparison, the 28-year-old running back was hit behind the line of scrimmage on 37.7% of his carries in 2024.

    This season, Barkley averaged 1.1 yards before contact per carry, trailing his 2.4 clip from last year. When he was hit behind the line on 132 carries, Barkley combined for 93 yards (0.7 yards per carry) and produced a single explosive run. On the runs without contact before the line, he averaged 7.1 yards per carry and had a 18.2% explosive run rate (both are above the league averages of 6.5 and 15.8%).

    What can the Eagles do to improve their run blocking in 2026? Is it a matter of changing the personnel, banking on the improved health/performance of the existing players, or changing up the blocking schemes?

    Dallas Goedert’s red-zone effectiveness was to a league-best standard in 2025.

    Dallas Goedert

    No player was more sought-after in the red zone this season than Goedert.

    With his 10 red-zone touchdowns this season, the 31-year-old tight end accounted for 58.8% of the Eagles’ red-zone receiving touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. That was the highest share of any player in 2025.

    Goedert’s 11 total receiving touchdowns were tied for the most among tight ends (with Arizona’s Trey McBride) and tied for the second-most among all players (trailing the Rams’ Davante Adams).

    Hurts may look to someone else in the red zone next season. Goedert is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.

    The presence (or absence) of Lane Johnson (left) had an every-play effect on the Eagles running game.

    Lane Johnson

    The Eagles felt the absence of Johnson, the 35-year-old right tackle, in the seven games he missed at the end of the regular season because of a Lisfranc foot injury.

    There was a difference in the running game’s efficiency with and without Johnson on the field, especially on carries to the right side. When Johnson was playing, the Eagles averaged 4.6 yards per carry (84 carries) on designed runs to that side, according to Next Gen Stats. Without him, going into Week 17, the Eagles averaged 3.2 yards per carry (97 runs) on those same runs.

    In that same span, the Eagles amassed 26 yards before contact on designed runs to the right without Johnson (and 288 yards after contact).

    Will Johnson be back for his 14th season with the Eagles, giving an instant boost to the running game? Or will he be unable to overcome his injury and call it a career?

    Tyler Steen was up and down in his first year as a primary Eagles starter.

    Tyler Steen

    Steen, 25, was the only new starter in the 2025 Eagles offense, replacing Mekhi Becton at right guard.

    He had his struggles in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, he conceded 37 pressures, which were tied for the third-most among guards with at least 500 pass blocking snaps. Those pressures broke down to two sacks, one quarterback hit, and 34 hurries on a total of 626 pass blocking snaps.

    Is Steen the long-term starter at right guard? Or will he face competition in training camp again as Howie Roseman retools the roster for 2026?

    Cam Jurgens is headed back to the Pro Bowl, but the numbers suggest it wasn’t his best year.

    Cam Jurgens

    It was an injury-riddled year for Jurgens, who underwent back surgery after the Super Bowl in February. He also played through a knee injury and suffered a concussion in 2025.

    Despite earning a second-straight Pro Bowl nod, Jurgens was seldom dominant in the running game. According to Sports Info Solutions, Jurgens posted a 5.9% blown run block rate on more than 300 run blocking snaps, which reflects the percentage of blocking snaps on which a player had a blown run block. That rate led starting centers.

    Can Jurgens’ struggles be attributed to his injuries? Or did the 26-year-old center simply regress, providing cause for concern for next season?

    Landon Dickerson’s biggest issues were in pass protection.

    Landon Dickerson

    Like Jurgens, Dickerson also pushed through myriad injuries in 2025. After playing through a knee injury in the Super Bowl, he dealt with meniscus, back, and ankle ailments this season.

    Dickerson wasn’t his sharpest in pass protection, allowing 33 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. That total is tied for the second-highest in his five-year career despite posting a career low in pass-blocking snaps (506). Those pressures broke down to five sacks, seven quarterback hits, and 21 hurries, finishing No. 13 in pressures among guards with at least 500 pass-blocking snaps.

    Is the 27-year-old left guard capable of healing up and returning to his three-time Pro Bowl form in 2026?

    Jordan Mailata was very good in pass protection in 2025.

    Jordan Mailata

    While the offensive line struggled as a whole, Mailata fared better than his counterparts in pass protection.

    The 28-year-old left tackle conceded 28 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked No. 6 out of 28 tackles with at least 600 pass-blocking snaps. The 28 pressures allowed were the third-fewest of Mailata’s six-year career as a starter. Meanwhile, Mailata’s 602 pass-blocking snaps were the third-highest total of his career.

  • Eagles news: Birds to interview Brian Daboll, have yet to convince Mike McDaniel; coaching search updates and rumors

    Eagles news: Birds to interview Brian Daboll, have yet to convince Mike McDaniel; coaching search updates and rumors

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 1:02pm

    Which Eagles should stay or go next season? Swipe and decide.

    Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert will be a free agent this offseason.

    The Eagles’ season ended sooner than expected with a loss to the 49ers in the wild-card round. Now the Birds will try to assemble a roster that can help them get back to their Super Bowl standard.

    Beat writer Jeff McLane made his picks on what personnel decisions he sees the team making this offseason, including wide receiver A.J. Brown’s future and whether tight end Dallas Goedert should be back next season.

    Make your pick for each player by swiping the cards below — right for Stay, or left for Go. Yes, just like Tinder.

    Which Eagles should stay or go? Swipe and decide.

    — Jeff McLane

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 11:32am

    NFL execs predict the Eagles will trade A.J. Brown

    Would the Eagles actually consider trading star receiver A.J. Brown?

    Though we’re weeks away from the NFL trade market heating up, NFL executives anonymously dishing to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler have a prediction — the Eagles will part ways with wide receiver A.J. Brown.

    One NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN the likely trading partner will be the Buffalo Bills, who desperately need to acquire talent to help Josh Allen.

    “The Bills have to upgrade there — their best receiver is Khalil Shakir, who is a nice player but he’s not a top guy,” the executive told ESPN. “Brown is an immediate upgrade and he’s still young. And the Eagles can build the passing game around DeVonta Smith and a high draft pick.”

    Other NFL scouts suggested to Fowler the Eagles could end up trading Brown to the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders.

    Brown is under contract through the 2029 season, and trading him would certainly put a dent in the Eagles’ salary cap (though designating it a post-June 1 trade would free up $7 million in cap space). But as Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski pointed out, there would be major long-term savings for the Eagles — over $44 million per season — if they traded him away this offseason.

    Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was noncommittal when asked if he would consider trading Brown.

    “It is hard to find great players in the NFL, and A.J. is a great player,” Roseman told reporters at a news conference last week. “I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for, when we go out here in free agency and in the draft, is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy. So that would be my answer.”

    Will A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson be back? Those are key questions facing the Eagles and Howie Roseman.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 9:32am

    Eagles to interview ex-Giants coach Brian Daboll today: report

    Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, seen here in a playoff game against the Eagles in 2023.

    The Eagles will interview former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll Tuesday, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

    Daboll went 20–40–1 (.336) in four seasons with the Giants, and was named NFL Coach of the Year in 2022. Prior to that, he was the offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills, where he was credited with the development of Josh Allen.

    After firing Sean McDermott, the Bills are reportedly interested in bringing back Daboll. He interviewed with the Tennessee Titans, who ended up hiring former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next head coach.

    Daboll also reportedly interviewed for the vacant offensive coordinator position with the Los Angeles Chargers.

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 7:31am

    Remaining NFL head coaching vacancies

    Robert Saleh is headed to the Tennessee Titans to become their next head coach.

    And then there were five.

    In an offseason that saw 10 head coaching vacancies (tying an NFL record last reached in 2022), four have already been filled.

    The latest is former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who has been hired by the Tennessee Titans as their new head coach, according to multiple reports.

    Here’s a look at the newest NFL head coaches:

    • Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski, former Browns head coach
    • Tennessee Titans: Robert Saleh, former 49ers defensive coordinator
    • New York Giants: John Harbaugh, former Ravens head coach
    • Miami Dolphins: Jeff Hafley, former Packers defensive coordinator

    Here are the remaining head coaching vacancies across the league:

    • Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers,

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 7:29am

    Eagles have yet to convince Mike McDaniel to interview: sources

    Ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is getting a lot of interest from multiple teams.

    In the past week, the Eagles have made it known to sources around the league that hiring former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator is their No. 1 offseason priority. That includes fired New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, who is expected to interview for the position this week.

    Virtually no amount of money, literally no amount of autonomy, and no fear of conflict would deter the team from signing McDaniel, a respected offensive innovator.

    McDaniel and Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio endured a rocky year together in 2023, when Fangio worked for McDaniel as his defensive coordinator in Miami, and their split, while couched as a mutual parting of the ways, was not without acrimony.

    At any rate, league sources indicate that even though Fangio’s work the last two seasons has been integral and possibly unmatched around the league, if the Eagles were somehow able to hire McDaniel, they would not be deterred by any possible discomfort from Fangio.

    Of course, the actual hiring of McDaniel in Philadelphia would be an unexpected coup for the Birds. Right now, he’s a hotter commodity than Venezuelan oil.

    League sources say the Eagles have not yet convinced McDaniel to interview, which offers a glimpse into how he considers the Philly job. That said, don’t expect money to be an obstacle. Sources say that, for McDaniel, the position could be worth as much as the $6 million annual salary the Raiders gave Chip Kelly, who then was fired just 11 games into 2025, his first of three seasons under contract. At the end of the season head coach Pete Carroll also was fired, which created the current vacancy.

    Sean McDermott’s firing could make Eagles’ pursuit of Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll for OC much harder

    — Marcus Hayes

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 7:32am

    Latest on Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator

    Former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard reportedly interviewed with the Birds Monday.

    It’s been about a week since the Eagles moved on from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, and the Birds have been busy interviewing potential replacements.

    Here are the offensive coordinator candidates the Eagles have already reportedly interviewed or are scheduled to meet with:

    And here are some coaches the Eagles have either reached out to interview or plan to bring in:

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 7:05am

    Eagles defensive coach Christian Parker to interview with Dolphins

    NFL Championship game schedule

    Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham will start his first game of the season Sunday against the Patriots.

    We’re down to just three games remaining this NFL season, though most Eagles fans bailed following the Birds wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

    The name you’ll be hearing all week is Jarrett Stidham, the backup replacing starting quarterback Bo Nix, who broke is ankle on the second-to-last play against the Bills Saturday and is out for the rest of the season.

    Stidham (who was originally drafted by the Patriots and was once Tom Brady’s backup) will make his first start of the season Sunday. The last time that happened was 53 years ago in 1972, when then-backup Roger Staubach started in place of Craig Morton and played terribly in a lopsided loss to Washington.

    “His last pass in a game came two years and two weeks ago,” retired NFL writer Peter King noted in his weekly newsletter.

    Here’s the schedule for Sunday’s NFC and AFC Championship games:

    • No. 2 Patriots at No. 1 Broncos: 3 p.m., CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson) 
    • No. 5 Rams at No. 1 Seahawks: 6:30 p.m., Fox (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady. Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)

    — Rob Tornoe

    // Timestamp 01/20/26 7:00am

  • Source: Jeff Hafley reaches agreement with Dolphins to become their coach

    Source: Jeff Hafley reaches agreement with Dolphins to become their coach

    The Miami Dolphins and Jeff Hafley have reached an agreement to make the former Boston College head coach and Packers defensive coordinator their coach, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

    The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract hadn’t been finalized.

    Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime general manager Chris Grier during the season.

    Sean McDermott’s firing could make Eagles’ pursuit of Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll for OC much harder

    Hafley, who spent two seasons in Green Bay, met with the Dolphins for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job. He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami.

    The 46-year-old Hafley left his job at Boston College in 2024 to become defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he worked with Sullivan for the past two seasons.

    Sullivan, formerly Green Bay’s vice president of player personnel, spent 22 seasons with the Packers before becoming the Dolphins’ GM.

  • Sean McDermott’s firing could make Eagles’ pursuit of Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll for OC much harder

    Sean McDermott’s firing could make Eagles’ pursuit of Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll for OC much harder

    In the past week, the Eagles have made it known to sources around the league that hiring former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator is their No. 1 offseason priority. That includes fired New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, who is expected to interview for the position this week. Virtually no amount of money, literally no amount of autonomy, and no fear of conflict would deter the team from signing McDaniel, a respected offensive innovator.

    McDaniel and Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio endured a rocky year together in 2023, when Fangio worked for McDaniel as his defensive coordinator in Miami, and their split, while couched as a mutual parting of the ways, was not without acrimony.

    At any rate, league sources indicate that even though Fangio’s work the last two seasons has been integral and possibly unmatched around the league, if the Eagles were somehow able to hire McDaniel, they would not be deterred by any possible discomfort from Fangio.

    Which Eagles should Stay or Go next season? Swipe and decide.

    Of course, the actual hiring of McDaniel in Philadelphia would be an unexpected coup for the Birds. Right now, he’s a hotter commodity than Venezuelan oil.

    He got even hotter Monday morning.

    The Bills fired head coach Sean McDermott on Monday. McDaniel is sure to be a candidate for that job. So will Daboll, who worked with superstar quarterback Josh Allen as the Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-21. And McDermott immediately becomes the top head coaching candidate in the league.

    There’s also a chance McDermott blocks McDaniel from a head coaching position, which pushes him back into the OC market, to the Eagles’ benefit.

    The merry-go-round ever swirls.

    Stay tuned.

    One thing is certain: McDermott’s firing immediately makes the Eagles’ quest for their top two candidates much less likely to succeed.

    McDaniel already has interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Tennessee, Baltimore, and Cleveland, was scheduled to interview in Las Vegas on Monday, and is expected to be interviewed a second time by the Browns this week. He interviewed with Atlanta, too, but the Falcons have already hired Kevin Stefanski, whom the Browns just fired.

    Who are the Eagles looking at for their next offensive coordinator? Here are some of the candidates.

    A report last week indicated that McDaniel would consider taking one of the premier offensive coordinator positions in favor of a bad situation as a head coach.

    To that end, McDaniel has interviewed with the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former is reportedly closing in on a deal with Arizona’s Drew Petzing. The latter offers a head coach in Todd Bowles whose future beyond next season is unsure, and the Bucs are as fervent pursuers of McDaniel as the Eagles.

    After he leaves Las Vegas — or, if he leaves Las Vegas, which owns the No. 1 overall pick and would be an enticing rebuild — McDaniel is expected to interview for the Los Angeles Chargers’ vacant OC job. There, McDaniel would coach Justin Herbert, who, like Lamar Jackson in Baltimore and Allen in Buffalo, is a more enticing option than the QBs on the other teams.

    And yes, that includes Jalen Hurts.

    However, in Philadelphia, McDaniel would have the best offensive roster of any of the other stops. That is, unless you believe: right tackle Lane Johnson is too old, left guard Landon Dickerson never will be healthy, Hurts will never develop past his current skill set, and A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley, both 28, have lost a step.

    Nick Sirianni (right) and the Eagles reportedly have not yet convinced Mike McDaniel to interview for the offensive coordinator position.

    League sources say the Eagles have not yet convinced McDaniel to interview, which offers a glimpse into how he considers the Philly job. That said, don’t expect money to be an obstacle. Sources say that, for McDaniel, the position could be worth as much as the $6 million annual salary the Raiders gave Chip Kelly, who then was fired just 11 games into 2025, his first of three seasons under contract. At the end of the season head coach Pete Carroll also was fired, which created the current vacancy.

    The Eagles have already interviewed former Falcons OC Zac Robinson, Indianapolis Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter (who does not call plays and therefore can leave), and former Eagles backup QB Mike Kafka, who was Daboll’s offensive coordinator with the Giants. They are expected to interview fired Bucs OC Josh Grizzard on Monday, and have expressed interest in Dolphins passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik, fired Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, and former Ole Miss OC Charlie Weis Jr., who was scheduled to follow Lane Kiffin to LSU.

    They’re wise to cast their net wide, because, as of Monday morning, it looked like no amount of money or power will be enough to land their two biggest fish.