The Philadelphia Eagles are just a few short months away from beginning one of the toughest challenges in all of sports: a title defense.
While most will view them as the same team that just won the Super Bowl, no two seasons are the same for an NFL team. Players move in the offseason, everyone gets older, and as is often forgotten, the coaching staff changes.
There has been one significant coaching staff change for the Eagles since winning Super Bowl LIX that has been far more impactful than the rest, and that is the promotion of Kevin Patullo to the offensive coordinator position to replace Kellen Moore, who became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints in the offseason. Patullo may be one of Sirianni's most trusted assistants (he has been on Sirianni's staff for the past eight years), but he has more to prove to the fans than any other Eagles coach heading into next season.
Patullo ready to show the NFL and Philadelphia what he can do with the offense
While there are areas of concern with Patullo, there are also many aspects to like about the hire. The biggest pro regarding Patullo pertains to one of the Eagles' most significant issues with their star quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts has had eight different offensive coordinators in his last nine seasons, dating back to his college days. Patullo is going to make it nine in 10 seasons, but he's not as new or different as the others have been.
Patullo has been working in Nick Sirianni's system for the last eight years, and he's been the Eagles' passing game coordinator since 2021, meaning he has spent the past four seasons working with Hurts and learning his likes, dislikes, and tendencies.
Patullo's other big plus is the trust Nick Sirianni has in him. Sirianni praised Patullo when he was promoted to offensive coordinator earlier in the offseason.
"I can't tell you that I make a decision without saying to Kevin first, 'What do you think?' That's in everything."
That trust was a thing that felt lacking between Sirianni and Moore during the early parts of last season. This year, the Eagles can get off to a quicker start with the head coach and offensive coordinator more in sync.
So, are there any cons? Well, sure. The most glaring being lack of experience.
Yes, he has worked with Hurts and Sirianni, but he has never had to take on the role of offensive coordinator at this level of football, and that can be a significant adjustment. He's never actually been the guy to call the plays in a game. It's going to be tough to learn on the fly when every team is going to give you their very best every week as the reigning champs.
The other primary concern, and the core reason Patullo has so much to learn, is his closeness with Sirianni. Part of why Moore worked out so well after the early rough patch was the marriage of his style of offense with Sirianni's. Their differences made them a better pairing in the long run.
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With Patullo, it's unclear who will speak up with new ideas if certain things aren't working, or if there will be stagnation in the offense as the season progresses, similar to 2023. This is where the real fear should lie for Eagles fans, and the area where Patullo will have to prove himself.
There are things to like and things to worry about, but mere speculation won't give us the answer. Instead, we'll have to see how the season goes, but here's hoping the Eagles have found a Coordinator that they both can and want to keep around after this year.