It may not be the number one thing Nick Sirianni is searching for in his new offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles, but getting a candidate with an extra chip on his shoulder wouldn't be the worst idea.
At this time of year, almost everybody in the frenzy of the NFL coaching cycle has some reason or another to have it out for the team that let them go. Most of the coaches getting coordinator jobs were either just fired or demoted from other places.
But having someone with direct ties to a division rival has played well for the Eagles in the past. When the Eagles won the Super Bowl at the conclusion of the 2024 season, they did so with Kellen Moore calling the offensive plays and Saquon Barkley playing like an MVP. That had to sting for Cowboys fans and Giants fans to watch. Now, they could do it again by bringing in Brian Daboll as their new offensive coordinator.
Eagles would have element of revenge with Brian Daboll as their new OC in 2026
Daboll was initially hired by the New York Giants for his work in developing quarterback Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills. The Giants wanted a piece of what the Bills had been building, so they not only hired Daboll but also poached Joe Schoen from the Bills' front office to run the show.
And now they're on the hunt for another head coach.
But the firing of Daboll was at least a little bit surprising given the growth we saw from the Giants' offense this year, and the way Jaxson Dart had been playing when he was healthy enough to do so.
Over the past couple of seasons, we've seen a number of young offensive players step up in a big way for the Giants. Not only did Dart show he might have franchise QB-type potential, but Malik Nabers was one of the league's best receivers as a rookie. Wan'Dale Robinson was the shortest player (5-foot-8) to ever achieve 1,000 yards receiving in a season.
Cam Skattebo was on pace for Rookie of the Year honors before an ugly injury. Tyrone Tracy has been a dynamic threat. The offensive line got better.
There were a lot of reasons to like what was being built for the Giants when they fired Daboll, so there was obviously something deeper going on there. The Eagles have a chance to hire him away, and Daboll would come to Philadelphia with deep knowledge of the division and an added chip on his shoulder to take down the Giants.
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And we've seen how much that has motivated Barkley. Given how well it worked out with Barkley and even with Moore, the ideal scenario for the Eagles might be to roll the dice on Daboll and see if they can get the operation back on track.