The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t waste much time hiring replacements for the two coordinator positions after relieving former offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai just a short week after the 2023 season came to a historically embarrassing end.
We know Vic Fangio will be spearheading the defense, and Kellen Moore will oversee the offense, according to reports over the weekend.
More on Moore
Moore took his first coaching job after retiring from the NFL as a player with the Cowboys as the quarterbacks coach in 2018. The 34-year-old former quarterback spent last season as the offensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers after spending the previous five seasons with division rival Dallas and four as the offensive coordinator.
The Chargers’ offense wasn’t one of the league’s best last season, ranking 18th in total offense (329.4 yards per game) and 21st in scoring (20.4 points per game). However, it appears the Eagles are resorting to what Moore did with the Cowboys offense led by Dak Prescott during his tenure in the Lone Star State.
Over the course of his four seasons calling the plays on offense, the Cowboys had one of the top-ranked groups in the league, ranking in the top five in various categories including yards per game (2nd), points per game (2nd), first downs (3rd), 3rd down completion (4th), passing yards per game (4th) and rushing yards per game (7th).
Below are some in-depth stats with Moore leading the way on the sideline for the Cowboys’ offense:
Based on the numbers, Moore likes to use motion, which was something fans and analysts wanted to see the Eagles utilize more last year to help Jalen Hurts read the defense pre-snap. Also, a 60/40 split between shotgun and under center is intriguing as the Eagles never ran a play under center aside from the “Brotherly Shove”.
The Eagles now favoring play-calling experience
He also has previous experience calling plays, something Brian Johnson did not in his first and only season with the Eagles and it was rather clear during the end-of-the-season press conference that General Manager Howie Roseman and Owner Jeffery Lurie want experienced coordinators around Nick Sirianni after the debacle that took place this season.
Moore has been known for scheming innovative ways to get the playmakers he has at his disposal open. Something the Eagles struggled to do with their talented trio in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
Here’s a look at a comparison between Keenan Allen, the Charger’s best wideout, and Smith’s route tree during a game this season:
The one on the right that looks like a preschool student’s art project is exactly what this Eagles’ offense needs. Unpredictable routes by some of the most explosive wideouts in the league. Kellen Moore, who will bring in his new ideas along with meshing some of what the Eagles have incorporated successfully, has the tools to turn this offense back into one of the most feared units in the NFL next season.
Will This Be a One and Done?
Along with being a top target as an Offensive Coordinator, Moore also was viewed as a potential head coach hire this offseason. He will take his talents to Philadelphia and the team and fans hope he can get the offense clicking the way it did in 2021.
However, if he has the success he enjoyed during his time in Dallas, this could be a third offensive coordinator since 2016 that the franchise has hired who could potentially go on to be a head coach. Frank Reich was hired by Indianapolis after the Super Bowl winning season and Shane Steichen, the current head coach of the Colts.
Ironically, both Reich and Steichen were also the Chargers’ offensive coordinator before joining the Eagles staff and both going off to Indianapolis to start their head coaching careers. Perhaps this will be a similar stepping block for Moore. That of course, is a 2025 offseason problem.
The Eagles still have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, but one will no longer be who will call the plays offensively next season.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola
