Day 16 and Counting: Why the Eagles' OC Job Isn't a Normal OC Job

Sixteen days. Sixteen reported candidates. Zero hires. As the Philadelphia Eagles' search for an offensive coordinator grinds on, Wednesday's National Football Show offered the most compelling explanation yet for why the process has stalled: the job the Eagles are offering isn't the job these coaches want.

The Kevin Patullo Precedent

Sileo drew a direct line from last year's hire to this year's dysfunction. The Eagles hired Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator on February 19, 2025 — just nine days after the Super Bowl — to replace Kellen Moore. Patullo had never called plays. As discussed on the show, at the time that it was "an irrelevant hire" and warned it would result in "an irrelevant fire."

"If you hire another guy that has never been a play caller, here we are again," Sileo said. "You're hiring 2.0 Kevin Patullo. You don't know who this Sean Mannion is. If he's going to be a good OC in that environment — how do you know? You're calling Nick's plays."

The timeline matters. Andy Reid, Sileo noted, was a quarterback coach for 15 years before he started calling plays. The candidates the Eagles are considering have a fraction of that experience, yet they're being asked to manage a far more complex set of constraints.

A Different Definition of OC

Sileo argued that the Eagles have created a non-standard definition of "offensive coordinator" that doesn't match any other team in the NFL.

"Their definition of offensive coordinator might not be the same as Cleveland, the Chargers, Buffalo," he said. "What does OC mean in Philly? Nick's plays — you call them. You bring in 25% of your plays."

The evidence supports this. Multiple candidates have reportedly taken their names out of consideration. Whether the Eagles formally offered the job to any of them is a matter of semantics — as Sileo put it: "I'm interviewing 17 people, but I haven't offered the job yet? What are you doing?"

Xander Krause added crucial context from Mike McDaniel's recent press conference, where the former Dolphins coach explicitly described himself as a run-game coordinator by trade and made clear he wouldn't cede control of that phase to anyone else. Krause connected the dots: "Anybody who's good on offense is going to want their own run game coordinator. Does that become an issue?"

The Jeff Stoutland Factor

The show identified a previously underappreciated obstacle: veteran offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland's control of the run game. Krause noted that Cliff Kingsbury reportedly clashed with the arrangement, and now McDaniel's comments suggest it was a dealbreaker for him too.

"If you're not in charge of your run game, you're not in charge of your offense, are you?" Sileo asked. "You mean to tell me I can't utilize Saquon Barkley the way I want to use Saquon Barkley?"

The irony, as Krause pointed out, is that Stoutland has presided over one of the league's most dominant run games for over a decade. "One of the best running teams in football, topped off by a historic season, for the last 13 years was coordinated by Jeff Stoutland," he said. The Eagles can't easily move on from him — but his presence may be limiting their hiring pool.

The Coaching Tree Mismatch

Sileo questioned why the Eagles would consider candidates from Sean McVay's coaching tree, noting that McVay's system is built around pro-style pocket passers — the opposite of what Hurts does best.

"Why in the world would you want to hire a guy off the Sean McVay tree when all they believe is passing?" Sileo asked.

Krause pushed back slightly, arguing that great offensive minds can adapt regardless of their schematic background: "I'm looking for somebody that has a great macro perspective and approach to the offensive game. Then you put them in the Eagles offense with the playmakers." But he acknowledged the Eagles' situation makes adaptation harder than usual.

The Brian Johnson Ghost

Krause delivered perhaps the segment's most pointed observation by revisiting the firing of Brian Johnson after the 2023 season. Johnson, a first-year coordinator, produced the 8th-ranked offense and the highest passing grade in the Sirianni era — while working with the 31st-ranked defense.

"If you remove the names and the team and I told you a first-year coordinator had the 8th-ranked offense and the 31st-ranked defense, you'd be like, is that guy up for a head coaching gig?" Krause said. "That guy got put out to pasture and he's never gotten back to OC since."

The implication: the Eagles' treatment of their previous coordinators is now a cautionary tale that's actively dissuading candidates from taking the job.

As day 17 approaches with no end in sight, the question isn't just who will be the Eagles' next offensive coordinator — it's whether the job they're offering is one any quality coach actually wants.