One of the NFL’s worst kept secrets right now is that Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is expected to be the New Orleans Saints’ new head coach.
There’s already been a lot of buzz on that front and Adam Schefter further supported the notion on Monday afternoon.
With Moore likely headed out the door after Super Bowl LIX, the question is: who will the Eagles hire to replace him?
NFL hiring rules will require the Eagles to interview at least two external minority candidates for their offensive coordinator job.
But it’s possible the Birds might ultimately land on an internal promotion, as was the case when they elevated then-quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson after Shane Steichen left Philly to becomes the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach in February 2023.
In a recent appearance on PHLY’s The Anthony Gargano Show, NFL insider Mike Garafolo talked about how Eagles passing game coordinator/associate head coach Kevin Patullo is a top name to watch.
GARGANO: When Kellen Moore goes to New Orleans, do you think it’s Patullo [replacing him]? Or who do you think it is?
GARAFOLO: “He’s a strong candidate. Kevin Patullo is a strong candidate. He’s part of the game-planning and play-calling process. They [Patullo and Moore] talk to each other. I think that that’s going to be a strong possibility.”
“Patullo’s been the constant over the last three coordinators. He’s been part of the process and he helped — when Kellen Moore came here, he helped mesh the [old and new] systems and get everybody on the same page. If it winds up being Patullo, I think that would be a good [hire.]”
“And I think Patullo … I KNOW Patullo is involved — he’s got an associate head coach title. And so a lot of the stuff that Nick asks of him is vice head coach type stuff. So, if he becomes effective as an offensive coordinator — he should’ve been in the running for some jobs already, head coaching jobs — but the way that the league looks at it, you have to be a coordinator before that. If he winds up getting in that role and putting himself [in a good position], I think he’s got a wealth of experience being that associate head coach for Nick Sirianni.”
From the outside looking in, Patullo doesn’t necessarily seem like a slam dunk candidate from a merit standpoint. A few concerns:
He’s never been an offensive coordinator before and he doesn’t have extensive play-calling experience.
He’s been Sirianni’s right-hand man since arriving in Philly. And the Eagles clearly wanted Sirianni to be less involved with the offense after their 2023 collapse, hence the Moore hiring. The line between Sirianni/Patullo could be blurred, which was an issue with the Sirianni/Johnson dynamic.
The Eagles’ passing game hasn’t exactly been awesome this season! As Sheil Kapadia recently noted, they ranked 14th in passing DVOA, which was tied for their lowest ranking in any season with Hurts as the starter. And it’s not like the Eagles lack the required talent for a top 10 passing offense.
This isn’t to suggest that Patullo doesn’t stand a chance at being a good candidate. Perhaps he has a promising plan to fix some of the offensive issues from this season. He might really knock an OC interview out of the park.
The Eagles would be best served to keep an open mind in their search, however, and not automatically stack the deck in Patullo’s favor.
Of course, maybe Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman decide that a Super Bowl win (or even just two Super Bowl appearances in three years) means Sirianni deserves more control over his coaching staff.
We’ll see.
