Eagles Urged to Replace OC Kevin Patullo With Fired AFC Head Coach

If there’s an NFL head coach with any offensive acumen who has either been fired or will be fired in the coming days and weeks, it’s a safe bet Philadelphia Eagles fans would take them over current offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

Patullo has been vilified among the fan base since Week 1, and even with the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles sitting at the No. 3 seed headed into their NFC Playoff opener against the San Francisco 49ers, that vitriol hasn’t eased up.

That’s why there were quick calls to replace Patullo with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in the hours after he was fired on Thursday, January 8.

“The Eagles should hire him today,” Sports Grid’s Kevin Walsh wrote on his official X account. “Let Mike McDaniel be a ‘consultant’ for now and promise him the job no matter what when the season is over.”

“If the Eagles ultimately fire Kevin Patullo, Mike McDaniel should 100% be their first choice to replace him,” The Score’s Brenden Deeg wrote on X. 

“Mike McDaniel and Vic Fangio would be the perfect OC/DC duo in Philly,” Real Talk With MJ wrote on its official X account. “Even if the Eagles win the Super Bowl, I would replace Patullo with McDaniel.”

Some have been thinking about the possibility of McDaniel in Philadelphia for a lot longer.

“Listen to me closely Nick Sirianni,” The Ringer’s Diante Lee wrote on X on September 14. “Future Eagles offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.”

McDaniel, 42 years old, has been an NFL offensive assistant or head coach for the last 20 years, including a 35-33 record in 4 seasons with the Dolphins, with consecutive playoff appearances in his first 2 seasons.

Rocky First Season for Patullo as Philly’s OC

While Patullo got the benefit of the doubt after he replaced current New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore following a Super Bowl win last February, the patience with Patullo seemed to wear off by about halftime of a Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Things took a leap in terms of how baad it could get when Patullo’s house was vandalized following a Week 13 loss to the Chicago Bears, although that’s done little to slow down the calls for him to be replaced.

Eagles Might Look to Another Recently Fired Coach

With Patullo running thing, the Eagles finished 24th in the NFL in team offense just one season after finishing eighth. They also saw 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley go from a 2,000-yard rusher to rushing for 1,140 yards in the same amount of games.

McDaniel also isn’t the only recently fired NFL coach who the Eagles might want to pursue — the Washington Commanders decided to part ways with celebrated offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury 2 days before McDaniel was fired on January 6.

“Had my criticisms of Kingsbury’s offense but hard to imagine they find someone better suited to tailor a system around Jayden Daniels,” The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen wrote on X. “Philly would be a great landing spot for him. I have a feeling are going to try to turn Daniels into a Shanahan system QB and we’ll see how that works out.”