Eagles OC Search Day 15: Dable Door Not Shut, Nagy Emerges as Fallback

Fifteen days. Fourteen-plus candidates. Two withdrawals. And still no offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.

On Tuesday's Birds 365, John McMullen laid out the clearest picture yet of where this search stands: the Eagles are waiting. Specifically, they appear to be waiting on Brian Dable's head coaching fate with the Buffalo Bills. Multiple reporters, including ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Albert Breer, have indicated that the door to Philadelphia isn't completely closed for Dable, even after earlier reports suggested he was headed to Tennessee as Robert Salah's offensive coordinator.

The Dwindling Candidate Pool

The attrition has been significant. Mike McDaniel is firmly with the Chargers. Mike Kafka took a senior role in Detroit. Arthur Smith went to Ohio State. Bobby Slowik is staying in Miami. Zach Robinson landed the Buccaneers job. Declan Doyle and Charlie Weiss Jr. both withdrew — which McMullen emphasized is NFL code for "they weren't getting the job."

"Nobody's even excited. Nobody's vouching to try and get this job," Krause observed. McMullen pushed back on the doom, noting that the Eagles could have had most of the remaining candidates — Jared Johnson, Frank Smith, Jim Bob Cooter, Josh Grizzard — if they wanted them. The fact that they haven't pulled the trigger suggests they're waiting for a specific domino to fall.

The Matt Nagy Factor

McMullen found the timing of Andy Reid publicly endorsing Matt Nagy on Monday particularly interesting. Reid explained that Nagy told him before the 2025 season that he planned to let his contract expire to pursue a play-calling opportunity or head coaching job. McMullen noted a familiar pattern: "I've seen this before when the Eagles get to a point and they pick up the phone, they go, 'Andy, what should we do?'"

McMullen's prediction: Dable is the number one option. If that doesn't materialize, Matt Nagy is the guy. "He's the guy of the group that's left," McMullen said. "He checks a lot of boxes. He's proven. He's done everything." McMullen acknowledged this won't excite most fans but argued that none of the remaining candidates will generate enthusiasm — and that historically, the Eagles have "settled" for coaches like Doug Pederson and Nick Sirianni who turned out just fine.

Notable Absences

McMullen was surprised by the absence of Kliff Kingsbury from the conversation, despite the Eagles interviewing him previously. "I haven't even heard the name," McMullen said. Frank Reich is closing in on a role with the Jets, and there's been no evidence of formal contact with the Eagles despite Nick Sirianni's close personal relationship with him.

McMullen expects clarity by the end of this week, likely tied to Buffalo's head coaching decision. "Once that domino falls, I think it's going to happen pretty quickly," he said.

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