NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles may need a new offensive coordinator, and luckily for them, the Miami Dolphins just fired their head coach, Mike McDaniel. This is great news for both parties. Most feel that the Eagles must move on from Kevin Patullo, and McDaniel needs to regroup after what transpired in South Beach.
There is no reason to believe that McDaniel wants to be an OC. But after what he went through with the Dolphins, he may want to hit the reset button and stay away from the lead position for a season or so. This is perfect timing for the Eagles. All season, they have taken hits regarding the playcalling and schemes of Patullo. With an offense fresh off a Super Bowl victory last February and with the same core of weapons, many expected the offense to be one of the best in the league, but so far, that has not been the case.
Eagles fans and NFL analysts have questioned the style in which he runs things, iow, Howie Roseman gets a chance to right the ship and open the playbook for Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, and the rest of the offense. McDaniel, like John Harbaugh, will be well sought after but for different reasons.
What McDaniel could bring to the Eagles will extend beyond what plays he calls. For starters, let’s focus on that. In Miami, he made headlines with Tua Tagovailoa and damn near turned him into one of the best QBs in the game. Tua suffered through injuries, but at one point, there were not too many QBs putting up the type of yards he was. Tyreek Hill came over from the Kansas City Chiefs and proved that his previous success was more than Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
With Hill and Tua suffering consistent injuries, McDaniel had to pivot his offensive scheme just a bit and rely more on the ground game. How did that work out? In 2 seasons with the Dolphins as the starter, De’Von Achane rushed for over 2000 yards, caught 145 passes for 1080 yards, and had a combined total of 24 TDs. Imagine what McDaniel could do with Barkley in the backfield.
The reason Mike McDaniel should be a target for Roseman is due to the movement he will add to the offense of the Philadelphia Eagles. They have the players to confuse the defese but for some reason, Patullo has declined to use it more. Under McDaniel, Smith and Brown can attack the middle of the field with Dallas Goedert hitting the outside. And getting Barkley more in the passing game should have the Eagles sitting atop the offensive leaders for 2026.
Then, we have a great reason that only most Eagles fans know about. Adding a former Dolphins player or coach always seems to do well for the mystique of the Eagles. From Jay Ajayi to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, when the Eagles add Dolphins’ personnel, they walk away with a Super Bowl ring.
This will all depend on where Mike McDaniel sees himself for the 2026 season. Does he want to stay as a head coach or go the assistant route? Joining the Philadelphia Eagles would add to his resume for sure, but once a coach gets the taste of leading a team and feels he was slighted in the way it ended, McDaniel may be out for blood. No matter what happens during this playoff run, Howie Roseman has to make a call to see where Mike McDaniel stands for next season.
