Three of the Best Options for the Eagles Head Coaching Opening
The “new norm” is now over.
The key pieces from that Super Bowl season are now making their way out. It is sad to see the players and coaches who gave this team their only Super Bowl championship are all dispersing only three years since the championship.
With Doug Pederson being fired the Eagles are in for a complete revamp in the coaching staff. The Eagles will need a new head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator. This process isn’t going to be easy, the Eagles opening isn’t the most desirable for the candidates.
You can make the case that the Eagles have the worst situation out of all the head coaching vacancies.
No cap space, a QB dilemma, and ownership who refuses to give the head coach his own say. Whoever is going to be taking over the reins is in for a tough situation, but here are three of the best options.
Spoiler alert: my prediction is at the end.
Lincoln Riley // Head Coach, University of Oklahoma
Riley is probably the biggest and most exciting name for Eagles fans. Riley is only 37 years old and has been given the title of “QB guru”. Riley has coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts, all three of who were exceptional at Oklahoma. Riley has never coached in the NFL, but he could easily get a job as an HC in the NFL whenever he wants. Riley was the offensive coordinator and QB coach at East Carolina from 2012-2013, and in 2014 was also given the title of assistant head coach. Riley was also the OC during his time at ECU. Riley then went onto Oklahoma and was the offensive coordinator and QB coach from 2015-2016. Riley was then promoted to head coach at Oklahoma in 2017 and lead the team to two College Football Playoff appearances. Riley has an overall 45-8 record at Oklahoma since he’s been the head coach. For being only 37, Riley has a pretty impressive resume.
Now I know what your thinking Eagles fans, the last time we hired a coach from college. I won’t even say his name, but don’t let that ruin your opinion of Riley. Riley would be a home run hire for the Eagles.
The only question is, would he leave Oklahoma?
He is getting paid great money and in a great situation by coaching one of the top college teams in the nation. Lurie would really need to open the checkbook if he wants to pull Riley away from OU. Riley and the Eagles do have a good relationship already, given the reports of Howie contacting Riley for his pre-draft analysis on certain players, plus you can imagine that Riley played a big part in why the Eagles selected Hurts. Riley would definitely be the best hire for the Birds, but it won’t be easy getting him out of Oklahoma.
Joe Brady // Offensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers
The next option is one of the more intriguing options to choose from. The Eagles have already held an interview with Brady, and so have a lot of other teams. Brady is only 31 years old, he is younger than some of the players on the roster. Brady was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at LSU during their historic run in 2019. Prior to that, Brady also spent two years as an offensive assistant for the Saints. Brady was the youngest coordinator in the league last year, and disregarding the stats, the Panthers’ offense wasn’t that bad. Many people around the league look at Brady as the next up and coming coach, kind of like McVay was.
Carolina was in the bottom half of the league in offense, but they were also missing their best weapon for almost the entire season. Brady would be a very high-risk hire for the Eagles, at only 31 years old you don’t quite know what you are getting in Brady, but if you pass on him now then you might never be able to get him again. Brady would be a very interesting hire for the Birds, and I would actually love it too.
Duce Staley // Assistant Head Coach and Running Backs Coach, Eagles
Duce has certainly earned his shot to be the team’s next head coach. The fan-favorite was drafted by the Eagles in 1997 and was known for his toughness and hard running. Duce then became a special teams quality control coach for the Eagles from 2011-2012. Duce then was promoted to running back coach in 2013 and has held that position since. He was also promoted to assistant head coach in the 2018 offseason.
Duce has been through three different coaches in his tenure here and has continued to rise in the coaching ranks. Duce was even interviewed for the head coaching opening in 2016. Duce has earned his shot at being the next head coach, he has the respect of his players.
Miles said earlier in the season in a press conference that Duce would make a helluva head coach.
Former Eagles star Malcolm Jenkins was also voicing his pitch on Twitter for Duce to be the next head coach. The Eagles could certainly look for a new head coach on the outside, but the best option might already be in their building. Not to mention, Duce has done a very good job developing Miles Sanders. Early in his rookie season, Miles was having fumbling issues and just wasn’t looking that smooth. We all know how Miles took off towards the end of last season, and then had another very good year this year, even with a coach who wouldn’t give him the ample amount of carries. The players love and respect Duce, and he would bring a sense of conformity to the locker room.
The biggest question is, does Lurie want to bring a new face from the outside with new ideas?
These next couple of weeks there are going to be a lot of twists and turns. There will be more names thrown out there for interviews and interest. There are a lot of other names out there that are intriguing, like Brian Daboll, Eric Bieniemy, etc.
The big problem is that the Eagles don’t have that big of a desire for an opening. It is going to be tough to get these big-name candidates away from their great situations and join a dysfunctional franchise.
The odds have Mike Kafka as the favorite, but any QB coach would look good with Patrick Mahomes. Even with a new coach the main problem still stands, Howie Roseman.
My Prediction: Duce Staley
Give Duce his shot, he’s earned it.
Featured Image: Brett Deering/Getty Images
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