Swing and Miss: The Eagles Can’t Land Their Top OC Targets

It looks like the Philadelphia Eagles are borrowing from the Philadelphia Phillies’ playbook and striking out when it matters most.

Yeah, the Phillies caught a stray. Deal with it.

Weeks after removing Kevin Patullo from the offensive coordinator role, the Eagles were supposed to be ahead of the curve. Instead, their search has devolved into a public reminder of how little this job is respected around the league.

The two names at the top of the list? Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel.

Both are gone. And neither ever truly wanted Philadelphia.

McDaniel is set to join Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he’ll work with Justin Herbert and attempt to repair his reputation after a chaotic tenure in Miami. Despite early buzz, McDaniel was never a real candidate. The Eagles were interested. He was not. He didn’t even interview.

Daboll at least took the meeting, but that was just leverage. According to Dianna Russini, the Eagles are operating under the understanding that Daboll wants the Bills’ head coaching job. If that doesn’t happen, he’s expected to land in Tennessee as offensive coordinator, working with Cam Ward and the Titans.

In other words: the Eagles were a fallback, not a destination.

This aligns with what insiders like Russini and Peter Schrager have been saying for weeks, the Eagles’ offensive coordinator job is poorly regarded in league circles. Whether it’s internal politics, lack of autonomy, or short leash expectations, the reputation is out there. Coaches talk. And they ain’t saying good things.

The most damning part? The Eagles had a head start.

And still, here they are, once again boxed out of the top tier, staring down another uninspired, safe, friendly hire that no one outside the NovaCare Complex will fear or respect.