The Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator search began with Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll as their top targets. However, the first left for the LA Chargers, while the other has interests in the Bills and the Titans. With that, a week of curiosity all turned to dust. Turns out, the biggest reason why it isn’t the easiest job to sell for the Birds might be residing on their campus, according to reporter Chase Senior.

“Another potential hold up in the Eagles offensive coordinator search and why some candidates might not want the job… Jeff Stoutland,” Senior wrote.

“Jeff Stoutland is one of most respected offensive line coaches in the history of the NFL, but he’s also the Eagles’ run game coordinator. A lot of OC’s (understandably so) want full control of the offense and want to bring in their own run game coordinators to fit their scheme and play-calling, but the Eagles want to keep Stoutland. As they should. He’s a legend.”

Stoutland is the lone holdover from the Chip Kelly era. Over his 13-year tenure with the Eagles, he has experienced the entirety of their golden era: three Super Bowl appearances with two wins, five NFC East titles, and reached the playoffs seven playoff appearances. After he received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025, no wonder GM Howie Roseman isn’t going to let the veteran go.

Still, head coach Nick Sirriani said as much in his exit interview that their next OC will be getting full control over the offense. But if a piece of the offense is already spoken for, the job gets a lot less appealing.

That said, apart from McDaniel and Daboll, the Eagles have interviewed the Kansas City Chiefs’ OC Matt Nagy, former Bucs OC Josh Grizzard, Colts’ OC Jim Bob Cooter, Giants interim head coach/OC Mike Kafka, and their first OC interview, Falcons OC Zac Robinson.

However, somewhere, somehow, Stoutland’s presence has seemingly impacted their decision. It naturally leads to the next question: why not just promote Stoutland?

He’s 63 now, and if being an offensive coordinator was the goal, it probably would’ve happened by now. He’s been in Philadelphia since 2013, and by all indications, he’s comfortable where he is, being an offensive line coach and run game coordinator.

Still, there’s an argument to be made that something has to give, as the run game this season wasn’t good enough, at least not by Eagles‘ standards.

They dropped from 3,048 rushing yards a year ago to 1,908 this season. Moreover, yards per carry slid from 4.91 down to 4.16. Explosive runs of 10-plus yards fell by about 30 percent. They managed just 114 rushing first downs.

Efficiency numbers were horrid, too. A team EPA of -11.59 and a negative EPA per rush tells you just how bad they were on the ground this year. That puts the spotlight back on head coach Sirianni. If the Eagles want to land a top offensive mind, they may have to loosen the reins a bit. The fact that they haven’t yet might have cost them their top OC target.

Mike McDaniel won’t be the Eagles’ new OC

The Philadelphia Eagles can cross one big name off their list. They won’t be hiring Mike McDaniel to replace Kevin Patullo. According to ESPN, the former Dolphins head coach is expected to land with the Los Angeles Chargers as their offensive coordinator.

Why McDaniel chose the Chargers over the Eagles isn’t fully clear. But of course, the lack of full authority over play-calling in Philadelphia may have played a role. And losing out on him might prove costly. Even with how his run as a head coach ended in Miami, McDaniel is still viewed as one of the sharpest offensive minds in football.

When he came to the Dolphins in 2022, he did wonders in his first year. His offense finished sixth in total yards. That might not sound flashy, but for the Miami Dolphins, it was a big feat as they cracked the top 10 in that category for the first time since 1995. A year later, Miami led the entire league in total offense.

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Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a career year, throwing for a league-high 4,624 yards. You can doubt him as an HC, but his offensive play-calling cannot be questioned. From the Eagles’ perspective, missing out on him stings. And he may not be the only one slipping away.

The Athletic reported that former Giants head coach Brian Daboll has interest in becoming the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills. If that doesn’t materialize, he could end up as offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. Either way, that likely puts him out of Philadelphia’s reach as well.

That’s two primary targets gone. Matt Nagy from Kansas City could be another name to watch, but if a head coaching opportunity opens up, that’s almost certainly where his attention would go first. Moreover, the whole reason why he wanted out of KC was to be able to call plays. With head coach Andy Reid holding to that responsibility in the Chiefs, he wouldn’t have received that opportunity any time soon. He might face the same fate in Philadelphia. So, for now, there’s uncertainty.

It may stay that way unless Nick Sirianni is willing to make a meaningful concession by handing over control of the run game to the next offensive coordinator.