Adapt or Die: Nick Sirianni Is Embracing Change, Unlike His Predecessor
There’s no way to sugarcoat it, the Philadelphia Eagles failed to meet expectations last season. Now the Eagles are focused on making the changes necessary to fix Philadelphia’s offensive issues. While Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni certainly played a role in Philadelphia’s shortcomings, he has shown a willingness to adapt in 2026.
The same couldn’t be said for Sirianni’s predecessor and former Eagles head coach, Doug Pederson. After Philadelphia finished with a 4-11-1 record in 2021, the franchise wanted to make changes on offense. Yet Pederson wasn’t willing to fire quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Press Taylor and ultimately fell on the sword in the offseason.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie and Pederson reportedly had a difference in vision, which led to his firing and Sirianni’s arrival. Fast forward to this offseason and Sirianni isn’t making the same mistake that Pederson did in 2021. Sirianni understands that the Eagles failed last season and is now willing to make the changes necessary to evolve, even if that means firing some of his closest friends.
When Sirianni arrived in Philadelphia, he brought two close friends with him to the City of Brotherly Love. Kevin Patullo and Jason Michael coached alongside Sirianni for several seasons before joining the Eagles. Patullo was regarded as Sirianni’s “right hand man” as they literally flew together on Lurie’s private jet to Philadelphia.
Yet following an early playoff exit in the Wild Card Round, it seems like both Patullo and Michael won’t be returning to Philadelphia next season. The Eagles have already removed Patullo from his offensive coordinator position and have officially hired 33-year-old Sean Mannion as his replacement.
Prior to Patullo being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2024, he served as Philadelphia’s pass game coordinator. That role has also reportedly been filled by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. The 35-year-old worked under two notable offensive minds in Mike McDaniel and Liam Coen in recent years.
While no coaching additions outside of Mannion as offensive coordinator have been officially announced, the Eagles have also reportedly hired Ryan Mahaffey as Philadelphia’s new tight ends coach and run game coordinator. The 38-year-old former NFL fullback coached alongside Mannion with the Green Bay Packers and has seemingly replaced Michael in Philadelphia.
Despite his offensive coaching background, it’s clear that Sirianni is willing to take a step back in 2026 based on Philadelphia’s reported coaching changes. While it’s sometimes hard to take Sirianni for what he says publicly, the team’s actions this offseason have proven that it’ll be Mannion’s offense moving forward.
Another staple on Sirianni’s coaching staff since he arrived in 2021 was legendary offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland. Yet after Sirianni and Patullo reportedly made changes to Philadelphia’s run game without adequately consulting Stoutland, the 63-year-old announced that he won’t be coaching the Eagles in 2026.
With Mannion now running the offense, it was clear that the team wanted to bring in a run game coordinator with experience working in the Sean McVay-esque tree. Stoutland clearly didn’t want to answer to someone else, especially not a 38-year-old that was most recently a wide receivers coach.
While many are criticizing Sirianni for his inability to keep Stoutland happy, it’s hard to fully criticize him for the move. If the Eagles want to fully embrace a new offensive scheme, it makes sense to go all-in on coaches that have experience implementing this offense. Stoutland is a legend, but it’s fair to wonder if his stubbornness may have gotten in the way of the significant changes that the Eagles want (and ultimately need) to make.
The Eagles have reportedly hired former Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper to fill Stoutland’s enormous shoes. While it’ll be hard for anyone to live up to Stoutland’s expectations, Kuper has experience working in Mannion’s projected offensive scheme. He coached for four seasons under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, who worked under McVay in Los Angeles.
Philadelphia’s latest addition now brings the unofficial total to four new faces on the team’s new-look offensive coaching staff. There’s a significant theme that stands out with all four coaching changes that the Eagles have reportedly made this offseason: None of them have previously worked with Sirianni.
The Eagles are clearly going all-in on Mannion and his vision for the offense in 2026. There are likely more changes coming to the coaching staff and Sirianni seems to be embracing the youth movement in Philadelphia. Maybe, just maybe, all of us should embrace it as well.