As the candidates for the Eagles offensive coordinator position lean more toward the inexperienced over the past few days — with both Jim Bob Cooter and Sean Mannion getting second interviews — a new report by Adam Schefter suggests head coach Nick Sirianni could resume play calling duties if needed.
“They have Nick Sirianni who always could call the offense if they can’t find somebody worthy of doing the job. But they’re being diligent looking for the right match […] they think there are enough good candidates out there that they’re going to come out of this with a good ,strong offensive coordinator.”
This didn’t initially seem like a great option, but the move could make sense:
Point 1: At times, Sirianni has expressed his appreciation for having extra time to sit in and work with the defense when someone else is calling the offense. This probably isn’t needed as much with someone as veteran and successful as Vic Fangio at defensive coordinator, as it was when Sean Desai was leading things. If anything, sitting in on those Fangio meetings the past couple years should only help Sirianni have some new eyes and ideas with his play-calling.
Point 2: One of the bigger issues throughout the season was the length of time it took the offense to get to the line. Cam Jurgens was regularly snapping the ball with just a couple seconds left on the play clock, and the offense often seemed rushed. We got a glimpse of their communication process during the in-season edition of ‘Hard Knocks’ and it appeared as though many of the play calls were still funneling through Sirianni — and to his credit, he was consistently quick with his decisions and showed urgency. When considering ways to get to the snap faster, having Sirianni just call the plays himself would probably save them 5-8 seconds per play.
Point 3: Sirianni and Hurts seem to finally be on the same page, and the head coach appears to have earned the quarterback’s respect. Hurts wasn’t always so forthcoming with his appreciation for Sirianni, but towards the end of the 2025 season, the QB made sure to publicly support his head coach. It’s hard to have a new play-caller every season, and while Hurts has made it work, Sirianni is the guy who has been the one constant during his time in Philly. That familiarity and trust would help with in-game communication and adjustments more than it did four years ago.
Point 4: Back when Sirianni gave up play-calling, it was reported that he was struggling calling plays and managing the game at the same time, but he’s now had four more years of experience in this role and is a lot more comfortable with the various parts of his job. Bringing those two responsibilities back together could look a lot different than it did when he ceded play calling duties to Shane Steichen.
Point 5: At this point, Sirianni has been on and off the hot seat nearly every year, and one of the winningest head coaches in NFL history faces scrutiny at every turn — let him call plays and see if anything has changed since he last did it in 2021. If everyone wants to question what he does for the Eagles, put it to the test and see if he really is a reason or a byproduct of the team’s success, and then make a decision next year based off those results.
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