Why Is It Taking the Eagles so Long to Hire a New Offensive Coordinator?
Fans have seen several names get brought up for who should be the Eagles’ next offensive coordinator in 2020, but it doesn’t seem to be happening quickly.
The question now becomes: Why?
The Eagles have brought in USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell for the job last week, but it has since been reported that he will stay at the school at least for this season. This would have been an interesting hire since he is a product of the air raid offense which could have changed things in Philly.
In the end, it probably wouldn’t have made much sense for Doug Pedersen to hire him since he calls the plays and I’m sure Harrell has gotten used to taking the play-calling duties in college. Still, it could have added a much-needed spark to this offense that has seen the numbers go down since former offensive coordinator Frank Reich took over as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts after leading the Eagles’ offense to a Super Bowl.
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Unsurprisingly, the early 2021 Super Bowl futures see both teams tied atop the list at +700, along with the Ravens. The highest non-playoff team is Dallas at +2000, but that’s still second-best in the NFC East behind the Eagles at +1500.
Regardless, other candidates had been brought us as well that have since found jobs around the league. Bill Lazor was at one time the QB coach of the Eagles in 2013, but he went to Chicago to be the Bears offensive coordinator after previously coaching the Cincinnati Bengals offense in 2017 and 2018. John DeFilippo was an early candidate as well after the success he had with developing Carson Wentz and coaching Nick Foles through their Super Bowl run. DeFilippo has since gone from being fired in Jacksonville as their offensive coordinator to now coaching Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears quarterbacks with Lazor.
Pat Shurmur was recently fired as the head coach of the New York Giants and was thought of as someone who can step in and fit well with the Eagles as he has had three successful runs as an offensive assistant for them. He decided to help coach up Drew Lock over in Denver as the Broncos offensive coordinator. Another former head coach in Jay Gruden was an interesting choice as he was fired in the middle of the season by the Washington Redskins after failing to produce wins since Kirk Cousins bolted to Minnesota. Gruden is also off the market as it was recently reported that he will be heading over to Jacksonville to take over as offensive coordinator.
Safe to say, the list is starting to slim down a bit for the Eagles. The choices are becoming harder to make, but there are still good candidates to choose from. There are two that have been brought up time after time as good choices: Duce Staley and Jim Caldwell.
Staley is a safe and smart choice if the Eagles go down this route. He has been with the organization on and off as a player and coach since 1996. He knows the offense as he has been the running backs coach since 2013 and added an assistant head coach to his resume in 2018. He’s a fan favorite and someone that everyone has been hoping would continue to grow and get promoted within the organization. He should be near, if not at, the top of the list for being an offensive coordinator.
Jim Caldwell is a decorated offensive mind in the NFL and has been successful wherever he has been. He has recorded a winning record as a head coach for the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions with a 62-50 record in seven years. He’s had a chance to work with some of the top quarterbacks in the league with Payton Manning and Matthew Stafford and keep them playing at a high level. His resume is hard to beat in terms of his success so it should be a no brainer to have him on the list and bring him in. The tough part with him is that he has a chance to be brought in as head coach somewhere so his stay may be short.
Even with those two candidates, there still could be another unknown candidate from the college ranks or somewhere around the league that could surprise fans. No matter what, this is an important hire for the Eagles as they have to get their offense on the right track.
The performance of the offense in the last two years has not been the same we saw in their Super Bowl run. Pedersen and the next offensive coordinator needs to find a way to find that “Philly Philly Special” magic and get the offense where they should be.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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