The Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense has looked unimaginative and oversimplified this season, after Kevin Patullo took over as offensive coordinator for the departed Kellen Moore, now head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
Philadelphia has the 22nd-ranked rush offense in the NFL through Week 14 under Patullo, while the Eagles finished the 2024 campaign ranked second in both total rushing yards and total rushing touchdowns. That regression is particularly problematic for an offense captained by quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is always at his best with a quality run game to lean on and help open up the pass attack.
ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Ben Solak discussed that on Tuesday, noting that the team’s dream candidate would be current Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, formerly the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
“You bring in a new offensive coordinator, you pray that Mike McDaniel gets fired,” Kimes said. “The [Dolphins’] run game is absolutely cooking, and I think that’s what brings me to job No. 1 for the Eagles organization. This is my firm belief, if you continue with Hurts … you have to accept the reality that your quarterback has to be paired with a good run game to have success because of the way he sees the field.”
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It is hard to argue with Kimes’ point about Hurts and Philadelphia’s success, as the team won a Super Bowl after acquiring Saquon Barkley ahead of last season, who put up one of the best years any running back has produced in NFL history.
The amount of usage Barkley saw during that championship run certainly took a toll on his legs that showed up early in this season. But injuries along the offensive line and the schematic changes under Patullo have been the bigger problems, according to Kimes and Solak.
Where Solak broke with Kimes, however, is on the idea that McDaniel is going to be a free agent come the offseason.
“Not gonna happen dude,” Solak said. “The Dolphins are playing their tails off right now.”
Miami fired general manager Chris Grier, who hired McDaniel in 2022, after a 2-7 start to the season. McDaniel got a vote of confidence from ownership that he would remain employed through at least the end of the campaign, though it appeared likely he would be seeking a new job come the winter.
However, the Dolphins have won four games in a row since then and are one victory shy of climbing to .500 for the first time in 2025. It should be noted that three of those wins came against the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders, who share a combined record of 9-30 this season. But the first victory was a blowout of the Buffalo Bills (9-4), who are likely headed back to the playoffs in January.
Miami has a relatively tough schedule over the final month of the campaign. So if the Dolphins close 0-4 or 1-3, it is possible that McCarthy will be available. However, if he’s not, Kimes and Solak suggested the Eagles pursue someone of a similar mold.
“This entire offseason has to be about making sure you can run the football in 2026. You will not be successful unless you can run the football better,” Kimes said. “My next offensive coordinator hire, I am finding the best run-game designer on planet Earth, because that to me is the most important thing this Eagles team has to do next year.”
Solak noted a couple of organizations to which Philadelphia should look in their search for a new OC if, in fact, the team decides to fire Patullo.
“Go get somebody out of Chicago or Detroit,” Solak said. “Go get somebody who’s been near [Bears head coach] Ben Johnson for a couple of years.”
Johnson had a top-five offense with the Lions all three seasons he was the coordinator there (2022-24). He has also turned around the Bears’ running attack in just one year, which is currently second in the NFL in total yards through Week 14.
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