Eagles’ Nick Sirianni endorses his new-look coaching staff with coordinators Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio

INDIANAPOLIS — When coach Nick Sirianni revamped the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff in the offseason, starting with the hiring of Kellen Moore to replace Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator, he refrained from completely overhauling a corps of established assistant coaches.

Quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier, who previously worked with Moore in the same role with the Los Angeles Chargers (2023) and the Dallas Cowboys (2020-22), is the lone fresh face joining the offensive position group coaches for 2024. Passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, running backs coach Jemal Singleton, tight ends coach Jason Michael, and wide receivers coach Aaron Moorehead are set to return.

The decision to add a pair of new offensive minds to a veteran group, Sirianni explained on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, represents his overarching vision for the offense next season.

“It’s [a] meshing of two systems to grow in both systems so we can put the best product on the field,” Sirianni said. “That’s why that’s kind of stayed similar, because we’re going to be doing different things, but also we’re going to be doing things that we’ve been successful at as well.”

» READ MORE: Sirianni’s job lies in the hands of Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio. Thoughts and prayers, Nick.

Sirianni spoke with reverence toward the successes of the new coaches and the returning ones alike. Moore, who turns 35 in July, was a standout quarterback at Boise State before continuing his playing career in the NFL as an eventual backup for the Cowboys. He transitioned into coaching in 2018 as the Cowboys quarterbacks coach and earned a promotion the following season to offensive coordinator, a role he held through 2022.

With Moore at the helm of the Dallas offense, quarterback Dak Prescott achieved several career highs at the time in 2021, including a 68.8% completion rate and 37 passing touchdowns on 596 attempts. That season, the Cowboys finished the season atop the league in scoring and total yards. That past success, in part, made Moore a fit for the job.

“Kellen’s been successful in every place that he’s been,” Sirianni said. “I know that’s relatively a young career, but he’s been successful as a player, he’s been successful as a coach. So I like the way he thinks about football and the way he takes everything in and is able to make decisions off of that. ...

“Obviously I’ve always had respect for him from afar. It’s been fun getting to know him and work through these things together to build our offense for next season.”

Still, Sirianni expressed that the retained offensive assistants have been successful in their own right, and he emphasized that certain aspects of the Eagles offense of the past will be incorporated into the plan for next season.

The offense took a step back last season, finishing seventh in the league in scoring and eighth in total yards, which was down from third in each area in 2022. At his end-of-season press conference in January, Sirianni admitted that the offense had grown “stale” by the end of the season, warranting an infusion of “new ideas” from the prospective offensive coordinator.

» READ MORE: Eagles receivers would ‘love’ Kellen Moore’s scheme, Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb says. He would know.

While Sirianni embraced continuity on his offensive coaching staff, the same cannot be said for the defensive staff. The hiring of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator to take over for Sean Desai ushered in more changes to the group of Eagles defensive assistants, which Sirianni attributed to Fangio’s abundance of experience and established scheme.

Some position coaches, including defensive ends coach Jeremiah Washburn and assistant linebackers coach Ronell Williams, remain on staff. Otherwise, the 65-year-old Fangio is bringing a variety of coaches mostly from his previous stops, such as defensive backs coach Christian Parker, defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, cornerbacks coach Roy Anderson, and safeties coach Joe Kasper.

“I think it’s important that Vic had some of his guys that he’s worked with before and that know his system and know the things that he requires,” Sirianni said. “So there’s a reason why there’s some change there on the defensive side, because he needed some guys that were familiar with that. Which Sean didn’t have last year.”

Fangio served as defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins in 2023, but coach Mike McDaniel announced in January at the conclusion of the season that the two parties had mutually parted ways. McDaniel expanded on that decision on Tuesday amid a transition to former Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver as Fangio’s replacement.

“In regards to the defensive coordinator transition this offseason, I’d be lying if I said I was expecting that during the season at all,” McDaniel said. “And I think Vic would feel similarly. What happened is basically, you know, I think it’s important when the season ends for you to remove emotion and evaluate and have very, very good conversations with all people that you’re depending on. With Vic and I, we had extensive conversations that were very healthy.

“Ultimately, when push came to shove, it seemed like we both had the opportunity and it would be best for both parties involved to literally mutually part.”

» READ MORE: Three personnel needs for rebuilding the Eagles defense under Vic Fangio

The Eagles will aim to use the Dolphins’ loss to their own gain. Fangio will be tasked with revitalizing an Eagles defense that finished the season ranked 30th in scoring and 26th in total yards. His scheme, which is notorious for its use of two-high safeties and light boxes to stop the run, has been mimicked across the league.

For 23 years, Fangio has served as either a defensive coordinator or head coach in the NFL, a shift from the level of experience that the last two Eagles defensive coordinators had. Jonathan Gannon was a first-year NFL coordinator when the Eagles named him to the role in 2021, while Desai embarked upon his second coordinator gig with the team last year.

“I‘m excited to have the experience of Vic here,” Sirianni said. “He’s obviously been an outstanding coordinator for a long time. A very long time in this league. Shoot, he was telling me the other day when we were driving up here that the combine, when he first started, was in New Orleans.

“I can’t even fathom ... so he’s been in this league for so long. Been successful for so long. And I’m really looking forward to that.”