This Might Sound Nuts, But Sirianni, Pederson, and Reich Are Exactly What the Eagles Need

Patullo was finally shown the door and is officially out as offensive coordinator. On paper, the Eagles’ list of potential replacements is strong. Names like former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel understandably get people excited, or perhaps Giants former head coach Brian Daboll given his relationship with coach Nick Sirianni.

But there is one name that makes sense and isn’t on most lists, and that is Doug Pederson. And if the Eagles are truly serious about fixing the offense long-term, Pederson shouldn’t come alone. The best solution is Frank Reich alongside Doug as an offensive advisor and quarterback coach.

At this point you may think I’m insane, but hear me out.

Nick Sirianni is a CEO-style head coach by design. He sets culture and accountability, delivers the now-famous flower speeches, and establishes the overall tone, while delegating scheme and play-calling to his coordinators. That structure can work, but it places enormous importance on who those coordinators are and is far more demanding on players than a system like Andy Reid’s. Reid is the system, so when his coaches leave, the core remains intact and simply reloads.

In Philadelphia, where much of the scheme and play-calling live with the coordinators, it raises an important question about how detrimental that churn can be for players- especially the quarterback.

Next year will very likely mark Jalen’s 7th offensive coordinator in Philly, that is of course unless the Eagles hire Doug. Put yourself in Jalen Hurts’ shoes…in a normal work environment, it would be the equivalent of losing your direct supervisor almost every year, or undergoing an annual reorganization that changes how things are done. The job itself may remain the same, but the constant adjustments can be disruptive, frustrating, and maybe even counterproductive.

Now, most quarterbacks aren’t making $51 million a year like Jalen Hurts, and when you’re paid at an elite level, it’s fair to argue that coordinator changes shouldn’t impact you as much. But Hurts is still human. And there’s no avoiding the reality that constant change creates setbacks- time spent learning new terminology and expectations is time not spent building on the foundation of previous seasons.

Even for the best, continuity accelerates growth. The only offensive coordinator who returned for a second season with Jalen Hurts was Shane Steichen, and that season told the story. Hurts finished second in MVP voting and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Common sense says it’s really no different than the relationship between a quarterback and a wide receiver: the longer they’re on the field together, the more instinctive the connection grows. Eventually, they know what the other is thinking without a word being said.

The unquestionable strength of the Philadelphia Eagles over the last decade has been driven by the offensive line. While quarterbacks, coordinators, systems, and head coaches have come and gone, the one constant has been great offensive line play. Why?

The Eagles have enjoyed rare stability up front because of Jeff Stoutland, one of the best position coaches in football. Stoutland demands excellence, and more importantly, he’s been the constant for over a decade. Stoutland is a master at developing talent. He took a raw athlete like Jordan Mailata and transformed him from a rugby player who had never played organized football into an All-Pro–caliber tackle. That same commitment to continuity is exactly what Jalen Hurts deserves, and it's exactly what the offense a whole needs as long as Nick Siranni is the coach.

If Eagles want to continue forward with Nick Sirianni, then they must find a way to stop the constant rotation of coordinators. The endless cycle undoubtedly frustrates Jalen Hurts, but the more important question for Eagles fans is whether it’s actively hindering his development during the most critical years of his career.

Hiring another rising coordinator / head coach almost guarantees the same ending: if it works, they’re gone. If it doesn’t, Jalen Hurts is forced to start over yet again. There’s also a legitimate fit question that goes beyond X’s and O’s. Bringing in a personality like Mike McDaniel under Nick Sirianni risks overshadowing the head coach himself, not because of scheme, but because of persona alone. And it’s why McDaniel would be very low on my list.

The only real way to avoid a quick coaching cycle is to go older. The Eagles need an offensive version of Vic Fangio. Vic Fangio isn’t going anywhere, unless he just decides to pack it in, because most veteran coaches aren't chasing their next dream job.

Call me insane, but Doug Pederson calling plays with Frank Reich beside him, focused on Jalen Hurts’ development, feels less crazy the more you think about it.

Photo Credit: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire

I know the move sounds insane at first. You’re essentially reuniting the core of the 2017 offensive brain trust beneath Nick Sirianni. But the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Doug Pederson has never been an ego maniac, and the current coaching landscape matters. With nine NFL head-coaching jobs open at the time of this writing, Pederson’s market is what it is. If he doesn’t land one of those opportunities, it’s fair to question how high he’d sit on the totem pole next season either.

Doug was the Eagles’ primary offensive play-caller during the 2017 Super Bowl season. He has a rare feel for the moment and has proven he can pivot, adjust, and call games at the highest level in the biggest situations. But Pederson was made even better by Frank Reich.

When Carson Wentz, then an MVP candidate, went down late that season, it was Doug Pederson and Frank Reich together who picked up the pieces. They didn’t stubbornly force a system that had worked all year. Instead, they adjusted and reshaped the offense back toward an RPO-based approach that Nick Foles was more comfortable running. That flexibility carried the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory and put Foles in position to earn Super Bowl MVP.

The Eagles desperately need an offensive scheme that accentuates Jalen Hurts’ strengths, and they need a staff capable of pulling him out of the shell he appeared to play in this past season- whether that was the result of coaching, circumstance, or his own doing.

Out of all the coaches currently available for offensive coordinator roles, I genuinely believe Doug Pederson and Frank Reich would provide the most immediate and proven impact on Jalen Hurts and the offense as a whole.

Hey, just this evening Doug said "I'm open to any conversations and any phone calls that may come my way "

So would Frank Reich be interested in returning to Philadelphia to work closely with game plan preparations and a QB? Given he just left Stanford University tells me absolutely. He has a passion for teaching or he would not have even considered it. Frank Reich would be an ideal advisor working closely with Jalen Hurts and would go a long way to further improve Hurts' development, which has been recently doubted despite two Super Bowl appearances and a Super Bowl MVP.

Frank Reich likely isn’t chasing another head coaching job at this stage of his career. He’s built his reputation on preparation and quarterback development, and given how vanilla the offense looked last year, combined with how hesitant Jalen Hurts appeared as a playmaker at times, it’s hard not to believe that kind of presence would benefit Hurts tremendously.

So would Nick Sirianni go for it? I think he would, because it doesn't threaten anyone. Nick Sirianni has already proven he can lead at the highest level, winning at a pace matched by almost no one in modern NFL history despite constant coordinator turnover. He’s clearly a good leader or he would have been tuned out by now.

Sirianni doesn’t need to look over his shoulder at Doug Pederson because he’s already surpassed him in sustained results, and he doesn’t need to prove anything offensively to justify his position. Putting Pederson in charge of play-calling, with Frank Reich supporting weekly game plans and quarterback development, doesn’t undermine Sirianni and it plays directly to everyone’s strengths.

Doug Pederson has always been at his best on Sundays with the headset. Frank Reich has always excelled in preparation and quarterback development. And while the sample size may still be relatively small, Nick Sirianni has clearly thrived as the CEO. In that sense, the idea feels almost like a baseball move. Think Don Mattingly sliding onto Rob Thomson’s bench, or Charlie Manuel wandering around spring training like a lucky charm.