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One of the first impressions from Chip Kelly's finalized coaching staff last year was that it was very... large. In fact, it was the largest in the entire NFL. Only the Seattle Seahawks had as many coaches as the Eagles did with a total of 24. This doesn't come as a surprise because both Kelly and Pete Carroll (Seahawks head coach) come from college backgrounds and are used to having big staffs.
Kelly's 2013 Eagles went 10-6, won the NFC East, and set a number of offensive records. Carroll's Seahawks won the NFC West and obviously went on to win the grand prize of Super Bowl 48. Considering the success of these two teams, I thought it would be interesting to see a look at how teams performed in 2013 with respect to their coaching staff size. I also took a look at the number of personnel on every team's coaching staff for the 2014 season. Full results below. (Data via every NFL team's official coaching staff listing.)
The Eagles are at the top yet again, tied with the Seahawks and Ravens.
| Team | 2013 | Record | Team | 2014 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 24 | 10-6* | Eagles | 25 | +1 | |
| Seahawks | 24 | 13-3* | Seahawks | 25 | +1 | |
| Buccaneers | 23 | 4-12 | Ravens | 25 | +4 | |
| Cardinals | 22 | 10-6 | Cardinals | 24 | +2 | |
| Chiefs | 22 | 11-5* | Jaguars | 24 | +2 | |
| Jaguars | 22 | 4-12 | Rams | 23 | +1 | |
| Rams | 22 | 7-9 | Bills | 23 | +3 | |
| Vikings | 22 | 5-10-1 | Chiefs | 22 | ||
| Broncos | 21 | 13-3* | Broncos | 22 | +1 | |
| Cowboys | 21 | 8-8 | Packers | 22 | +1 | |
| Dolphins | 21 | 8-8 | 49ers | 22 | +1 | |
| Packers | 21 | 8-7-1* | Browns | 22 | +2 | |
| Raiders | 21 | 4-12 | Lions | 22 | +3 | |
| Ravens | 21 | 8-8 | Colts | 21 | +1 | |
| Saints | 21 | 11-5* | Chargers | 21 | +1 | |
| 49ers | 20 | 12-4* | Raiders | 21 | ||
| Bears | 20 | 8-8 | Dolphins | 21 | ||
| Bills | 20 | 6-10 | Saints | 20 | -1 | |
| Browns | 20 | 4-12 | Buccaneers | 20 | -3 | |
| Chargers | 20 | 9-7* | Vikings | 20 | -2 | |
| Colts | 20 | 11-5* | Cowboys | 20 | -1 | |
| Giants | 20 | 7-9 | Bears | 20 | ||
| Jets | 20 | 8-8 | Giants | 20 | ||
| Texans | 20 | 2-14 | Jets | 20 | ||
| Lions | 19 | 7-9 | Redskins | 20 | +2 | |
| Bengals | 18 | 11-5* | Panthers | 19 | +2 | |
| Redskins | 18 | 3-13 | Texans | 19 | -1 | |
| Patriots | 18 | 12-4* | Falcons | 18 | +1 | |
| Falcons | 17 | 4-12 | Bengals | 18 | ||
| Panthers | 17 | 12-4* | Patriots | 17 | -1 | |
| Steelers | 15 | 8-8 | Steelers | 16 | +1 | |
| TOTAL: | 630 | TOTAL: | 652 |
As you can see, there doesn't seem to be a strong correlation. There are some playoff teams at the top, middle, and very bottom. Still, I think it's interesting that some teams opt for less coaches when there's no limit as to how many can be hired (that is, except for the owner's willingness to pay). Perhaps those teams feel it's "too many chefs in the kitchen." Or perhaps they're more sensitive about their coaching staff being poached. While those seem like valid reasons, the benefits of having a large staff include increasing the changes of finding coaching gems. Not to mention the extra assistance during drills and such.
While the quantity of coaches might not ultimately mean much, it goes without saying that it's coaching quality what matters most. With Chip Kelly at the helm of the Eagles, Philadelphia seems to be in good hands so far.