National Football League

Eagles' next OC? Nine candidates who could bring 'fresh ideas' to Philadelphia

Updated Jan. 26, 2024 12:03 p.m. ET

When Nick Sirianni surveyed the wreckage of the Philadelphia Eagles' season, he came to the conclusion that his struggling offense "got a little bit stale" after three years of running basically the same offensive scheme.

That's why he fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who spent the previous two years as the quarterbacks coach under offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Sirianni knew he couldn't have the same person take an objective look at the same old offense next season.

It was clear that the only way to fix things was to bring in "fresh ideas."

"Whoever the new coordinator is, there's going to be things that they bring that are going to be fresh ideas for us to help our players grow and help our players play at the top level," Sirianni said on Wednesday. "I'm excited about that, the new ideas meshing with some of the old ideas"

"But yeah, to me, we got a little bit stale on offense by the end of the year, and these ideas and this new person coming in is meant to take away the staleness and add the value of what they're adding to the offense."

So, who is Sirianni considering in his search for "fresh ideas"? Here's a look at the known candidates so far, and a few others who could be on the radar soon:

Kliff Kingsbury

If Sirianni is really looking for something new, the 44-year-old former Cardinals coach would certainly qualify. He brought the Air Raid offense he used at Texas Tech to the NFL, using innovative formations that spread teams out and took advantage of his personnel's speed on the outside. His overall record wasn't good (28-37-1), but he had a top-10 offense in two of his four seasons and helped turn quarterback Kyler Murray into a star.

The scheme is similar to what Lincoln Riley ran at Oklahoma and now runs at USC, where Kingsbury — who has already done a virtual interview with the Eagles — was a senior offensive analyst last season. Riley was the coach at Oklahoma in 2019, when his QB was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy. That quarterback, of course, was Jalen Hurts.

Kellen Moore

The 35-year-old is generally regarded as one of the top playcallers in the NFL thanks to an impressive four-year run as the Cowboys offensive coordinator (2019-22), in which he guided the No. 1 offense in the NFL twice and a top-15 offense the other two years.

Of course, he was fired by Mike McCarthy before last season and the Cowboys offense didn't miss a beat without him. And Moore's first season as the offensive coordinator of the Chargers was hardly spectacular. They finished 18th in total offense (and 21st in scoring) as the team went 5-12, though injuries to several key offensive players had a lot to do with that.

But Moore is still in demand, and his work with Dak Prescott in Dallas could be tempting, as Sirianni looks for someone to get Hurts back on track. The Eagles have already requested permission to interview him. So have the Cleveland Browns.

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Jerrod Johnson

The Texans quarterbacks coach actually crossed paths with Sirianni back in 2019 when he joined the Indianapolis Colts as part of the Bill Walsh diversity fellowship. He was promoted to offensive quality control coach the next year and worked under Sirianni, then the Indy offensive coordinator.

The 35-year-old Johnson, who has already interviewed with the Eagles, might be a long shot since he has only one year as a position coach. His work with rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud this past season was obviously spectacular.

Johnson is considered a rising star around the league, but perhaps not the desired experience given that Sirianni hinted he'll take a step back and let the offensive coordinator have a little more control next season.

Jim Bob Cooter

In 2021, when Sirianni was a rookie head coach, Cooter was a consultant on the Eagles' staff. And while that prior relationship would seemingly make him a top candidate to fill the OC vacancy, that might not be the case. One team source said he will be considered, but shouldn't be regarded as the favorite. That's at least partly because he already has an offensive coordinator job, with the Colts under Steichen.

Steichen calls the Colts' plays, though, so if Sirianni were to offer that role to Cooter, he might jump. He last called plays for three years in Detroit (2016-18), where he had two offenses rank in the top 16. The Lions also had two winning seasons, which is saying something with that franchise.

Was Hurts exposed, more to blame for Eagles loss than Sirianni?

Frank Reich

In some ways, the old Bills quarterback would be a logical candidate. He was the Eagles offensive coordinator under Doug Pederson in 2016-17, which included their Super Bowl season. Moreover, Sirianni was the OC for the first three years of Reich's coaching tenure in Indianapolis.

That probably wouldn't qualify him as someone who could bring Sirianni "fresh ideas," however. Also, at age 62, he hinted he might retire after he was fired during his first season as the head coach in Carolina. Even if he doesn't, no one is sure he'd actually want to be a coordinator again.

Also, if he was hired as the Eagles offensive coordinator, it could make for a sticky situation because many would consider him a head coach-in-waiting.

Eric Bieniemy

It appears unlikely Bieniemy will get his long-awaited shot to be a head coach this offseason, and he likely won't be back with the Commanders once they hire a new coach to replace Ron Rivera. He certainly would bring a fresh approach to the Eagles offense, running a Chiefs-style, West Coast scheme — one of the most creative and diverse passing attacks in the league.

The 54-year-old didn't work wonders, though, in his first full year of calling plays last season. The Commanders ranked 24th on offense and some of the veteran players had a tough time adapting to Bieniemy's coaching style. He initially did an impressive job with Sam Howell until the young quarterback hit a wall late in the season and injuries began decimating an offensive line that was generally terrible all year long.

Incidentally, he also played running back for the Eagles in 1999 — the final year of his playing career.

Zac Robinson

Teams are still trying to raid Sean McVay's staff with the Rams, which has made the 37-year-old passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach a hot commodity this offseason. Robinson hasn't called plays under McVay, but he's obviously well-versed in his innovative, motion-based, dynamic offense. And he also has done a terrific job helping quarterback Matthew Stafford revive his career.

The Saints, Patriots, Bears, Steelers and Raiders have all pursued Robinson for their offensive coordinator vacancies in the past few weeks.

Is Jalen Hurts elite?

Joe Brady

It's a good bet Brady won't be available because the Buffalo Bills are likely to retain him after he served as the interim offensive coordinator for the past two months. But if he is available, the 34-year-old is another rising star on offensive who many believe will soon be a head coach. In fact, the Eagles interviewed him for their head coaching job before they hired Sirianni in 2021.

Brady got his coaching start under Sean Payton in New Orleans. He spent one season at LSU where he helped the Tigers and quarterback Joe Burrow win the national championship as their passing game coordinator. He then spent two years as the offensive coordinator in Carolina before joining the Bills as the quarterbacks coach.

He interviewed for the Falcons head coaching job this offseason and will have plenty of suitors for OC jobs if the Bills don't lock him up soon.

Mike Sullivan

After the Steelers quarterbacks coach took over offensive playcalling late in the season, Pittsburgh won four of seven games and made the playoffs. That included its final three games, including two in which the club topped 30 points. Considering the Steelers were down to Mason Rudolph at quarterback, the 56-year-old earned praise for a job well done.

Though the Saints and Raiders are eying Sullivan as a possible offensive coordinator, he has mostly spent his career as a QBs coach. He does have four years as an offensive coordinator — two with the Buccaneers (2012-13) and two with the Giants (2016-17). His 2012 offense, with Josh Freeman at quarterback, ranked ninth in the NFL. The other three, though, didn't rank higher than 21st.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.