On Wednesday, the Eagles promoted passing game coordinator/associate head coach Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator.

The promotion comes in the wake of Kellen Moore being hired as the New Orleans Saints head coach.

Patullo and Sirianni worked together from 2018-2020 before Sirianni took the Eagles head coaching job (and brought Patullo with him).

Some may point to the Eagles lackluster history when it comes to internal promotions in recent years, but Patullo specifically is poised to shift that narrative.

When the Eagles hired Brian Johnson as their quarterbacks coach in 2021, it was a move that was spearheaded by Executive V.P. and General Manager, Howie Roseman. Johnson had no prior connection to the Eagles besides his relationship with Jalen Hurts (whom he’d known since Hurts was a child).

Fast forward to the conclusion of the 2022 season, and Johnson was next in line to become the offensive coordinator after Shane Steichen became the Colts head coach.

Johnson had just coached Jalen Hurts to an MVP runner-up and Second-Team All-Pro season. It was the natural progression of things within an NFL staff.

But Patullo wasn’t without recognition. He even interviewed for the position before Philadelphia promoted Johnson.

Following the abysmal conclusion of the 2023 season and the decline in play of Hurts, Philadelphia had to go outside of the organization to find their next offensive coordinator.

They would hire Kellen Moore, who as stated has accepted the Saints head coaching job.

Returning the focus to the promotion of Patullo, this is a coach who has a prior connection/relationship with Nick Sirianni. This is someone who Sirianni trusts and that’s an important factor for Sirianni.

It’s evident when you look back at Sirianni’s first season in Philadelphia. Sirianni called offensive plays for the first few weeks of the season, but the results were lackluster. The team was 2-5 and a change needed to be made.

Sirianni would hand-play calling to Steichen and the team would rebound and finish 9-8 and make the playoffs. Steichen would keep play-calling duties throughout the rest of his time in Philadelphia.

Steichen (like Patullo) had coached with Sirianni previously, so the prior connection was there.

“I just really trusted Shane. Shane and I spend so much time throughout the week together, again, coming up with a plan amongst the coaches, and Shane and I are doing most of the heavy lifting,” Sirianni said of the switch in 2022.

“There are just so many things that came up, and you know what, I wanted to trust the guys on the staff that I had because I have good coaches,” Sirianni continued.

One of the coaches on that same Eagles staff in 2022 was Patullo, who was also an integral piece in the offensive meeting room at the time.

“It’s kind of a neat conversation,” Patullo told the Athletic before the Super Bowl in 2022. “I’m not sure if everybody does this, but it’s something that (Sirianni) had wanted to do and we kind of developed into a pretty cool thing for Shane, myself, and him to go through. And really on game day, it makes it feel pretty easy because there’s situations that come up on tape and you’re (not) like, ‘Oh, man, we gotta talk through this one,” Patullo said.

The 43-year-old Patullo was on the plane alongside Sirianni when he first arrived in Philadelphia.

Patullo was the only offensive coach Sirianni had brought with him from Indianapolis when he initially took the Eagles job.

He’s been referred to as Sirianni’s “right-hand man” and it’s the truth.

Patullo, who has been with the Eagles since 2021, has coached at the NFL level since 2007. Patullo’s relationship with Nick Sirianni dates back to 2009, when the two coaches connected after Patullo accepted a job with the Buffalo Bills and Sirianni accepted his first NFL coaching role (offensive quality control coach — the same role that Patullo vacated). Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey asked Patullo to reach out to Sirianni regarding the role.

“We’ve been friends since,” Patullo said.

Looking back to Sirianni’s time with Brian Johnson in 2023, ESPN described Johnson as, “having to fit his own philosophy within an offensive structure belonging to Sirianni.”

The lack of trust was evident all season in 2023. The unit struggled to find any semblance of rhythm, and sure Patullo was on that staff, but he wasn’t the sole voice like he will be as the offensive coordinator.

Some may point to Patullo being the sole common denominator on the offensive staff throughout some of the inconsistencies the unit has shown in the past, but that’s exactly why the promotion could yield positive results.

Because of his relationship with Sirianni (both personally and relationship-wise), Patullo has played a key role in bridging Sirianni’s offensive approach with the philosophies of newer coaches like the aforementioned Steichen, Johnson, and Moore.

It again goes back to the trust that Sirianni has in Patullo.

“Nick trusts me, and obviously we’re very close, and I get to be a part of a lot of decisions,” Patullo said. “So that’s really valuable to me and obviously to us as a team, having people to go back and forth and challenge. As far as the offense. I mean, really, since even Day One, it’s not just been the pass game. I’ve basically been involved in every (part of the) offense as far as pass game, run game, RPOs, and all the other stuff I do, the situational stuff we do with two-minute, red zone, I’m basically involved in it.”

That level of trust and friendship is real.

It’s clear it means something to Sirianni when delegating and coaching his coaches and for Patullo, it may be the distinguishing factor as he prepares to step into the spotlight.

Cover Image Credit: The Philly Blitz