Jan. 31, 2026, 3:23 p.m. ET

The City of Brotherly Love is a unique place. It was our nation’s first capital, the city where Thomas Jefferson and others drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a process that required patience. Did you see what we did there? Patient, of course, isn’t the word most often used to describe Philadelphia Eagles fans. ‘Passionate’ works. Do does ‘demanding’. That reality surfaced again during the recent offensive coordinator search.

Every development, or perceived lack of one, was dissected, overanalyzed, and framed less as deliberation and more as dysfunction.

When the process dragged, much of the blame landed on Nick Sirianni and the supposed ‘lack of interest’ in the job. When that narrative lost steam, fingers were pointed at Jalen Hurts. Some suggested he scared candidates away. People actually said that! Don’t act like some of you weren’t among the number.

Each time those theories surfaced, we kept coming back to the same question: Hasn’t this organization earned a little trust by now? Why the outrage when the team openly said it would “cast a wide net”? And if no one was interested, why were so many candidates interviewing?

The truth is, the process was never going to be fast, flashy, or universally satisfying. It was always going to be thorough. Speculation filled the silence anyway, but it led here, to the hiring of not one, but two highly regarded offensive minds.

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Reasons to be excited about a unique and unexpected Eagles pairing of two sharp young offensive minds

Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard are now Eagles. We should all consider ourselves lucky. They are charged with reconstructing an offense that fell apart last season. Here are several of the 30 or so reasons that we can mention to explain why you all should be excited:

Their combined experience with some of the game’s current respected offensive minds

Bringing Mannion into the building means the Eagles are adding a guy who was coached by Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, and Liam Coen. They added to his football foundation before working with Tom Clements as a coach under Matt LaFleur.

Grizzard’s offensive palette consists of both offensive and defensive geniuses. While with the Miami Dolphins, he spent time on the staffs belonging to Adam Gase, Brian Flores, and Mike McDaniel. At Duke with the Blue Devils, he was part of David Cutcliffe’s staff. While with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he learned from former Eagles defensive assistant Todd Bowles and former Bucs OC/current Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.

Look at who these guys have coached.

Grizzard was part of Daniel Jones’ early development at Duke, helping to build the foundation a future pro would lean on. In Tampa, he worked with Baker Mayfield, who has reinvented himself with the Buccaneers.

Mannion helped develop Jordan Love and Malik Willis at his last stop, helping both evolve into capable NFL signal-callers. Though Willis is currently second on the Green Bay Packers‘ depth chart, he showed all of the necessary traits needed to guide a pro offense confidently if thrust into action.

Willis notched a 145.5 passer rating this season and a 93.1 QBR. Love also notched respectable numbers: a 9-5-1 record, a 66.3% completion percentage, a 23-6 TD-to-interception ratio, a 101.2 rating, and a 72.7 QBR.

Here are a few adjustments we’re expecting from the Eagles’ offense.

Some beautiful words are being tossed around the Eagles’ fan base and media: creativity and innovation. Among other things, we hope to see some new wrinkles in Philadelphia’s offense that we have grown accustomed to viewing from McVay and LaFleur.

The noise was loud, and the takes were hotter than necessary. The impatience was predictable, but the Eagles stayed disciplined and landed two coaches who check real football boxes rather than polls on social media feeds.

Creativity and innovation are truly coming, and they’ll come from preparation, teaching, and trust. Panic won’t be part of the process. Philly will always be demanding, and that’s part of what makes it special, but sometimes the smartest move is letting the people in charge do what they’ve consistently shown they can do. Patience didn’t betray us. It rewarded us.