In the Nick Sirianni era, it’s become an annual tradition for the Philadelphia Eagles to work through growing pains with their offensive play caller; since Sirianni delegated the play sheet to Shane Steichen during the 2021 regular season, the Eagles have broken in a new play-caller in each of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ five full seasons as the starter.
Kevin Patullo’s debut season in that role as Philly’s new offensive coordinator has been rocky, to say the least.
He’s also far from the only offensive coach who should be under fire following Sunday’s brutal collapse to the Dallas Cowboys, who outscored the Eagles 17-0 in the second half and might’ve saved their season with a 24-21 win.
Conceptual growing pains between Patullo and Hurts aren’t all that shocking, although Eagles fans expected better from Sirianni’s longtime right-hand man. Patullo had been working hand-in-hand with the head coach and quarterback since Sirianni was hired prior to the 2021 season.
The one offensive assistant that no Eagles fan worried about was Jeff Stoutland, who’s been one of the best in the business at developing linemen and coordinating the run game. But after another uneven performance that left the likes of Saquon Barkley and Landon Dickerson short on answers, it might be time to make Stoutland a bigger part of the conversation going forward.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line has gone from strength to weakness in 2025
Patullo has been the punching bag this season, which comes with the territory as the offensive coordinator. The real elephant in the room, however, has been an Eagles offensive line that has regressed miserably in comparison to last year’s Super Bowl champion.
Injuries have definitely played a role. The Eagles tend to struggle without star left tackle Lane Johnson in the lineup, and he missed the first of what’s expected to be a multi-game absence with a foot injury on Sunday. Other key starters, like Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens, have been battling through multiple ailments and have clearly been operating at well less than 100 percent.
Stoutland deserves his share of the blame pie, though. The Eagles retained every starter outside of right guard Mekhi Becton this offseason, and the team has found zero answers in the run game. Philadelphia has dropped from the NFL’s second-best rushing offense to 21st; it’s gotten so bad that fans and analysts alike are calling for Tank Bigsby to get more opportunities.
The brutal truth is that Philly’s blocking along the interior has been nonexistent in 2025. Steen, Jurgens and Dickerson have struggled to create running lanes, to the point where Philly’s best success on offense against the Cowboys came early, with Patullo utilizing the quick passing game to Barkley and A.J. Brown as an extension of the rushing attack.
Eagles reporter Anthony DiBona of The Philly Special singled out the offensive line as the team’s weakest link coming out of Sunday’s second-half debacle in Dallas.
“Stoutland is praised as one of the best assistant coaches in the NFL, yet he has fallen short this season. … Philadelphia’s offensive line is undisciplined, as nearly every player has been called for a crucial penalty this season. Meanwhile, the running game is stale and lacks any semblance of creativity. It’s time for Stoutland to live up to the standard that he has set for himself in recent years.”
Eagles fans have spent the majority of their time blaming Patullo, but the brutal reality is that a change at offensive coordinator won’t fix all of Philly’s problems. It’s much more complicated than that, as Sirianni’s fingerprints remain all over the offense, and trustworthy names like Stoutland, Hurts, Barkley, and A.J. Brown haven’t been holding up their end of the bargain.
These Eagles may be flawed, but they’re still an 8-3 football team with a sizable lead in the NFC East standings. They have the players and coaches to get things ironed out, and that should still be the expectation.
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But with Thanksgiving week now upon us, things seem to get more uncomfortable by the week with the reigning Super Bowl champs.