Among all the changes from the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff, the biggest and most impactful will be offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland's departure after 13 years with the franchise.
The Eagles replaced Stoutland with former Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper, a hiring that had raised some eyebrows because he was not retained by Minnesota after the season. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke with reporters at the NFL Combine, sharing what went into bringing Kuper in.
"You're able to go through and talk to all these different guys and figure out who is best for you," Sirianni said via PHLY. "I think as we talked to guys, just was really impressed by Chris and things he's done as a player, as a coach, and his knowledge on the game, his knowledge on the system that some of the things we're going to do in that system. Because there's a lot of intricacies in that. Just excited about everything that he'll bring."
Chris Kuper replaces a legend in Jeff Stoutland
Stoutland is a Hall of Fame-caliber coach for his work with the Eagles. He helped the team make three Super Bowls and win two of them by coaching some great players like Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Evan Mathis, Brandon Brooks, Landon Dickerson, and many more.
Kuper inherits what should be one of the best offensive lines in the NFL despite the struggles of last year. Dickerson, Johnson, and Cam Jurgens battled through injuries, which greatly affected the running game last season, as they ranked in the bottom 15 in that category.
Many Eagles are concerned about Kuper stepping in because the Vikings' offensive line struggled mightily last year amid its own injury problems, and pass protection and the run game just weren't where they needed to be. After four years there, for Kuper not get retained for 2026 is a very telling sign.
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Eagles fans hope that Kuper can get this offensive line going, as he has the toughest job on the team and is trying to replace one of the best assistants in NFL history.