Prospective NFL coaches aren’t ignoring red flags.
With the Eagles’ offensive coordinator position still vacant, former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker did a temperature check this week about how potential candidates may feel about the role, particularly after the treatment of 2025 OC Kevin Patullo, who drew the ire of the team’s passionate fan base and had his home vandalized.
“The way Patullo was treated, let’s just say this – anybody that’s a coach in the NFL is very well aware of what it is like to be in Philadelphia in general, to be the offensive coordinator in particular,” Tucker, a color commentator for Eagles preseason games, said on the Philadelphia-based WIP, according to the Philly Voice. “They know about Patullo’s house being egged, they know what the environment here is like.”
Patullo, who took over as offensive coordinator following Kellen Moore’s departure for the top Saints job last offseason, was a target of criticism throughout the year amid the team’s struggles on his side of the ball.
Fan frustration boiled over following a home loss to the Bears in late November, with Patullo’s home getting egged.
He was relieved of his duties earlier this month following a first-round playoff exit to the 49ers, when his play-calling was heavily scrutinized once again.
As the Eagles currently comb through a pool of candidates, including former Giants coach Brian Daboll, Tucker cautioned that coaches with opportunities elsewhere will heavily weigh their options when making a decision on Philly.
“The point is when any of these guys that have other options, like Brian Daboll … when these guys are sitting down with their wife and their kids or their family and they’re talking about, ‘OK, where do you live, what are the expectations, what’s the weather like, where do we want our kids to go to school?’ The way Philadelphia is, it’s not a positive.”
Daboll, who served as head coach of the Giants for three-and-a-half seasons, has emerged as a candidate for the top Bills job after Sean McDermott’s firing.
Should Daboll not get his second head-coaching opportunity with the Bills, where he previously served as the team’s offensive coordinator, the expectation is he will be the offensive coordinator on new Titans coach Robert Saleh’s staff, The Athletic reported.
That means Daboll would choose to work alongside last year’s No. 1 pick, Cam Ward, instead of the Eagles’ superstar lineup of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley.
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel took the Chargers offensive coordinator position after reportedly being a top choice of the Eagles.
Another Eagles option is also off the board with Zac Robinson, who is expected to become the Buccaneers’ next offensive coordinator.
The NFC North appears to be the latest division in Philly’s sights, with The Athletic reporting Thursday the team is requesting an interview with Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
