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There’s been some thought that the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator search has been quiet because the team is targeting an assistant still coaching in the 2020 NFL playoffs. With that in mind, former Eagles quarterback and current Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka seems like a logical candidate.
But apparently Kafka isn’t really in the running:
I’ve been told, and continue to be told, that Doug Pederson hasn’t shown interest yet in #Chiefs QBs coach and former #Eagles QB Mike Kafka as an OC candidate.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherNFL) January 17, 2020
No inquiries made yet, per source. Pederson was Kafka’s position coach in 2011 with Eagles.
So ... who are the Eagles targeting for their OC job?
Media reports have linked the Eagles to three potential candidates since Mike Groh was fired: James Urban, Kevin O’Connell, and Jim Caldwell.
The Ravens confirmed Urban is staying in Baltimore while KOC was hired to be the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator.
Caldwell is still available, assuming the Miami Dolphins allow the Eagles to interview him. But the 65-year-old Caldwell also had to step away from coaching in 2019 due to health reasons. I think hiring him would make sense for the Eagles but to what extent is he reliable?
A number of other potential offensive coordinator candidates have come off the board since the Eagles fired Groh. LSU’s Joe Brady was hired by the Carolina Panthers. Joe Moorhead joined the Oregon Ducks. Todd Monken is returning to the college ranks at Georgia. Pat Shurmur joined the Denver Broncos, thankfully.
There are still a number of external options for the Eagles to consider but some of the most intriguing choices have come off the board.
One must wonder if the Eagles might end up going with another internal promotion at offensive coordinator. Duce Staley is an obvious candidate. Jason La Canfora said he “wouldn’t be shocked” if Press Taylor gets the job.
But promoting from within wouldn’t be very inspiring, especially after just seeing the Eagles fire two previous internal promotion flops in Groh and Walch. Philadelphia could really afford to add some outside perspective to their coaching staff. All of the answers aren’t always in-house.
The Eagles don’t need to be in a mad rush to hire their new offensive coordinator. There’s value in conducting a thorough search and picking the brains of various candidates.
Let’s just hope there’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and the delay doesn’t stem to the Eagles struggling to identify a quality candidate.