Brian Johnson is out as the Eagles offensive coordinator. The news was first reported by JAKIB Sports’ Derrick Gunn on Monday.

For the second straight season, the Eagles will be looking for an offensive coordinator. After the departure of Shane Steichen, the Eagles offense regressed in several areas.

They dropped from third in points per game to seventh, from ninth in passing yards per game to 16th, and from fifth in rushing yards per game to eighth. The offense failed to score 20 points in five of their final seven games.

The offense failed to establish an identity all season and reports surfaced that there was a disconnect between head coach Nick Sirianni, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and Johnson.

Sirianni and Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman spoke on Wednesday and outlined their approach to finding a new offensive signal caller.

“We’re looking for the guy who is the best person for the job, and that can be – there are many different systems that work,” Sirianni said.

“There are many different systems that work well. We’re looking for the guy who’s going to be best for the job that can utilize the skills that our players have so they can play at their highest level,” Sirianni said.

The Eagles offense will have a new signal caller in 2024. Here are four candidates (and two honorable mentions) that make sense.

Reported Interviews

Kliff Kingsbury

The former Arizona Cardinals head coach and current USC senior offensive analyst interviewed with the Eagles on Tuesday.

Kingsbury, a former quarterback, has been referenced as a sort of ’quarterback whisperer’. Over the course of his coaching career, Kingsbury has worked with some of the top quarterbacks in college football and the NFL. Most notably Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Johnny Manziel (at Texas A&M), and most recently Caleb Williams.

As head coach of the Cardinals, Kingsbury’s offense finished top 10 in yards in 2020 and 2021. In his first three seasons, Kingsbury’s offense also finished in the top 10 in rushing yards per game.

Schematically, Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense would mean a lot of empty formations, 4/5 wide sets, heavy read-option runs, and a ton of (for lack of a better term) unique-ness.

It would be fascinating to see how Kingsbury would blend the Air Raid offense with the current world of NFL defenses which are all predicated on stopping explosive plays. The allure with Kingsbury lies in the cutting-edge, outside-the-box approach to scheming and the quarterback development element he provides.

After his offense became a bit stale and unimaginative with the Cardinals, seeing how Kingsbury has adapted and evolved his approach to the Air Raid offense would be very interesting.

On the other hand, a lot of what plagued the Eagles offense in 2023, syncs up with Kingsbury’s offensive identity: little to no pre-snap motion, rare snaps from under center, little to no designed rollouts, explosive play hunting at an alarming rate, and little to no passing targets over the middle of the field.

Jerrod Johnson

Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that the Philadelphia Eagles have interviewed Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson for their offensive coordinator vacancy.

Under the tutelage of 35-year-old Johnson, C.J. Stroud put up one of the best rookie seasons ever seen by a quarterback, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 23 touchdowns. Johnson was at the forefront of Stroud’s development this season and Stroud credits him with, “putting a lot of confidence into (him).”

Johnson has been around NFL circles since 2011 when he signed as an undrafted free agent with the Eagles. After a five-year playing career that included stints in the UFL (United Football League) and IFL (Indoor Football League), Johnson got into coaching.

His first stop (via the Bill Walsh Diversity coaching fellowship) was with Kyle Shanahan the San Fransisco 49ers in 2017. From there he joined the Colts in 2019 (again via the Bill Walsh Diversity coaching fellowship), before sticking and becoming an offensive quality control coach with the team from 2020-2021. He would overlap with Nick Sirianni, who referenced Johnson as doing a “phenomenal job” and being someone who he (Sirianni) could, “bounce some things off of.”

According to the Indy Star, Johnson’s responsibilities included everything from getting coffee to throwing passes in practice to working closely with Sirianni.

After leaving the Colts, he became the Vikings assistant quarterbacks coach under Kevin O’Connell. During his time on staff, Kirk Cousins threw for 4,547 yards (2nd highest of his career) and 29 touchdowns. Currently, Johnson is the Texans quarterback coach. He works closely with Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who is in line for a head coaching opportunity.

Johnson has done a great job with Stroud this season and he’s someone who’s been exposed to a multitude of schemes and has experience in the Shanahan coaching tree, but has no play-calling experience.

If the ask from Sirianni is to bring new ideas, Johnson certainly could check that box off, but one has to question if this move would be a bit too similar to the Brian Johnson hire of last offseason.

Honorable Mentions

James Urban

James Urban is a familiar face. The former Ravens quarterbacks coach and current senior football analyst/game-planning got his start in the NFL with the Eagles organization where he started as a coaching intern in 2003. Urban worked on Andy Reid’s staff from 2003 to 2010, serving as an offensive assistant and quality control coach from 2007-2008, before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2009.

Urban was tasked with helping Michael Vick get acclimated to Andy Reid’s offense. Under Urban, Vick had a career year. He amassed 3,000 yards passing for the first time in his career and threw for the most touchdowns ever in a season in his career (21).

After leaving the Eagles, Urban served as the Bengals wide receivers coach from 2011-2017. With the Bengals, Urban was instrumental in the development of receivers like A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, and Mohamed Sanu. Green earned a Pro Bowl invite in each of Urban’s seasons in Cincinnati. Urban currently serves as the Ravens quarterback coach, a role he’s held since 2018.

Urban has been instrumental in the development of quarterback Lamar Jackson. His ability to teach and communicate has been lauded.

“He’s an excellent coach,” Harbaugh said of Urban. “He’s a teacher. He’s a communicator. He has had a lot of experience in different types of offenses, which is a big part of it. I think he’s one of the very best in the business.”

Urban is a Marty Morhinweg-Andy Reid disciple. He’s also worked with Jay Gruden and as of this past season, Todd Monken. From a schematic standpoint, like Nick Sirianni, Urban is a West Coast offense disciple.

An Eagles connection is seen in his relationship with Marty Morhinweg who Urban said “trained me on how to coach quarterbacks.” Jalen Hurts worked with Marty Morhinweg in his rookie season.

Frank Reich

You may be surprised to see Reich in the honorable mentions category, but while I believe Reich has a high chance of being on the Eagles offensive staff, I don’t think it will be in the coordinator capacity.

The relationship between Reich and Nick Sirianni is well-known. Reich has been a bit of a mentor to Sirianni, who considers Reich, “one of the best damn coaches (he’s) ever been around.”

Reich’s role as a quarterback developer and his ability to adapt his offenses to the personnel he has at his disposal is well known. His ability as a strategizer and game planner from his time with the Colts is well known. He’s a familiar face to not only Sirianni but to Eagles fans as well. And this is the reason why I don’t see him becoming the offensive coordinator.

On Wednesday, when Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman met with the media, one of the more pressing topics was the Eagles offense, and specifically, what he and the organization are looking for in a new offensive coordinator.

“I just think right now we just need to bring some ideas from the outside,” Sirianni said. “We need to bring a guy in with new ideas that’s not part of this family of coaches. I think that an important thing or even if it is from one of the coaches that have been somewhere else — it can be any of that,” Sirianni said.

“The evolution will not just be of the things that this new coordinator will bring to the table as far as their scheme and things that we may not know a lot about because it is easy to look out and say, ‘ooh, I like to do that, I like to do that, I like to do that,’ but not know everything there is to know about it, and that’s why you’re bringing in a coordinator in to bring those new ideas,” Sirianni said.

I think it’s safe to say, Frank Reich doesn’t fit that description. While I think Reich may end up on the staff, it likely won’t be as coordinator. According to reports, the Eagles brass haven’t even contacted Reich concerning their offensive coordinator vacancy.

4) Eric Bieniemy

The long-time Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator most recently served as the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator. He’s currently still under contract with the Commanders but will likely be available once Washington settles on a new head coach.

In his first season outside of Kansas City, in the most respectful way possible, it didn’t go well. Washington ranked 25th in scoring, 24th in total yards, 25th in EPA per play, and 18th in success rate. Not to mention the absurd lack of balance in Bieniemy’s offense (32nd in rushing attempts, 1st in pass attempts). On the other hand, quarterback Sam Howell averaged 280 yards per game through the first 10 weeks of the season.

The offensive output in Washington could have a lot to do with the skill-deficient personnel rather than Bieniemy’s coaching. Nevertheless, the unit struggled in 2023.

The obvious selling point with Bieniemy is his championship pedigree from his time with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Teams may still want to steer clear of Bieniemy due to the fact that it isn’t any clearer than it was at the beginning of the 2023 season whether he can be an impactful offensive coordinator outside of the Reid nest.

The Eagles could look at the success Bieniemy had with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mahomes and compare it to their star power on offense and convince themselves that Bieniemy could potentially re-capture that same magic in an offense with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert.

3) Zac Robinson

Every team that is looking for an offensive coordinator is trying to get a piece of the Shanahan/McVay offense. Enter: Zac Robinson.

Robinson serves as the Rams quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. Before coaching, Robinson played four seasons in the NFL. He also worked as an analyst for PFF before getting into coaching. He had no professional coaching experience prior to being hired by the Rams.

In 2023, he oversaw a passing offense that saw Matt Stafford post a career-high completion percentage, Puka Nacua amassed the greatest rookie season by a wide receiver in NFL history and ranked eighth in scoring.

The Rams offense ranks near the top of the league in pre-snap motion and utilizes a ton of play action, condensed formations, and variation in their run concepts. This should be music to not only Eagles fans ears but to the ears of Nick Sirianni and the Eagles organization as well.

The overarching con with Robinson is the true lack of coaching experience which includes no play-calling experience. He also never coached at the college level and has spent his entire coaching career with the Rams. It’s fair to question if Robinson is ready to be an NFL offensive coordinator right now.

Nevertheless, Robinson is a talented coaching mind who comes from a coaching tree that every organization with an open offensive coordinator position is trying to get a piece of.

2) Darrell Bevell

By far the most experienced coach on my list, Darrell Bevell brings over 15 years of offensive knowledge to the table.

Bevell’s coaching career began in 2000. He’s worked with a variety of quarterbacks including Brett Farve, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa. Bevell’s wealth of coaching experience spans several different personnel types, schemes, and philosophies.

Bevell is essentially a blend of the old-school West Coast offense and the new-age Shanahan-McDaniel blend of the scheme. During his six years as offensive coordinator with the Seahawks, the Seattle offense finished top five in rushing four times. Over his first four years in Seattle, the offense also ranked seventh or higher in DVOA, despite inconsistencies along the offensive line at times.

From 2011-2017, Bevell’s offense ranked 2nd in rushing yards, 4th in passer rating, 9th in explosive play rate, 9th in points per drive, and 7th in total QBR.

Diving deeper, Bevell’s offensive approach is predicated on establishing balance, maximizing personnel, and hunting matchups.

Bevell said in 2019,”We want to be diverse. We’re not going to sit there and be in four wide receivers, shotgun every play, and throw it 45 times. That’s not good for anybody. On the other hand, we’re not going to be three tight ends and run the ball 40 times.”

He isn’t without fault, as his struggles in Jacksonville and Seattle are the first things that come to mind. In Seattle, despite his early success, over time he may have just reached his ceiling with the team and their quarterback.

With the Jaguars, the entire operation was under the thumb of Urban Meyer who was fired midway through the season. Bevell’s offense struggled to establish a rhythm throughout the 2021-22 season. This could be the result of a multitude of things.

Nevertheless, Bevell has shown the ability to adapt his offensive approach depending on the players he has at his disposal. To be around for as long as he has depicts his capability to adjust and maintain modernity in the way he coaches, teaches, and schemes.

1) Klint Kubiak

Klint Kubiak is a football lifer. His father, Gary Kubiak, coached in the NFL for 25 years and won a Super Bowl. Gary Kubiak also worked with Mike Shanahan. Fast forward a few decades, and Klint is currently working with Mike’s son Kyle.

Klint serves as the passing game coordinator on Kyle Shanahan’s staff. But before joining Shanahan’s staff this past offseason, Kubiak served in a handful of roles with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos.

With the Vikings, Kubiak served as the quarterbacks coach from 2019-2020 and then as the offensive coordinator in 2021. During Kubiak’s three years in Minnesota (across both coaching roles), Kirk Cousins passed for 12,089 yards and 94 touchdowns compared to 26 interceptions along with completing 67.6% of his passes.

In his role as offensive coordinator with the Vikings, he continuously moved Justin Jefferson around the formation. On the outside, in the slot, in the backfield, in condensed formations, and in stacked splits.

With the Broncos, while the majority of the 2022 season under Nathaniel Hackett is forgettable, Kubiak was given play calling in late November. In that span, the offense showed signs of life scoring its highest point total to date and snapping a five-game losing streak. From weeks 14-18, the offense also rose from 30th in EPA per rushing attempt (week 1 -13) to 6th in the NFL.

Throughout his coaching career, Kubiak has shown the ability to maximize the strengths of his personnel. And with the 49ers, that development has continued. Look around the Niners offense, and sure you can say the talent makes it easy to scheme for, but by that same token look at all the talent on the Eagles offense this season and the week-to-week performance they put on display.

Coaching matters in football and sure, Kyle Shanahan is the mastermind that makes the engine go, but Kubiak (as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator) plays a pivotal role in the system.

He was hired to replace former 49ers pass game coordinator and current Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who replaced offensive mastermind and former San Fransisco assistant (current Dolphins head coach) Mike McDaniel.

You want a play-calling experience? Klint Kubiak has it.

You want someone from the Shanahan coaching tree? Klint Kubiak is the passing game coordinator on Shanahan’s staff and his father worked with Kyle Shanahan’s father.

You want a schemer? Klint Kubiak can provide that. Just ask Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed, who in 2021 after the Vikings 30-17 win over Seattle said, ““We got schemed up. We couldn’t get off the field. They were driving from their 25 all the way down the field.”

Cover Image Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports