'Fresh ideas' for a 'stale' Eagles offense? 5 thoughts on Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator

That was fast. It took the Eagles one week to replace their offensive and defensive coordinators. Vic Fangio was officially hired as defensive coordinator on Saturday and the Eagles reached an agreement with Kellen Moore to oversee the offense a few hours later, according to multiple reports. 

Moore, 35, comes to Philadelphia after one year as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator following four years calling plays in Dallas. He has a track record of offensive success (two top-five finishes in DVOA, two seasons No. 1 in yards, one season No. 1 in points) and was a candidate for the Eagles’ head-coaching job in 2021. 

Here are five thoughts on the decision to bring in Moore:

1. The hire fits the “fresh ideas” description that Nick Sirianni promised last week. Moore is an established play-caller, but to take it another step, he’ll bring in a different menu than what the Eagles have used the past three years. The scheme had become “stale,” to use Sirianni’s term, and Moore provides a different system. 

The Eagles were No. 32 in motion rate last season. The Chargers were No. 8. Moore’s offense in Dallas was No. 1 in success rate against the blitz in 2021. His teams play from both shotgun and under center (the Chargers were under center 19.1 percent last season; the Cowboys were under center at least 34 percent of the snaps in each of his four seasons there), they spread the ball around (between 15-18.5 percent of the targets to running backs, 17 to 23.9 percent to tight ends, the rest to wide receivers), and they’re going to utilize all parts of the field. 

Moore has been on the Eagles’ radar for a while, and the franchise played against his offenses for four years in Dallas and saw his quarterback development. So there’s not much projection about what the Eagles are adding. Even at age 35, his experience provides a catalog and a reputation that is simply not present when hiring a first-team offensive coordinator.

I thought it would benefit the Eagles to bring in several different candidates to hear different ideas and perspectives — Eric Bienemy, college coordinators, etc. They moved quickly, presumably with the understanding that Moore would be in demand and chairs were filling. So they could have sought more fresh ideas, but Moore makes sense in this department.

2. If you’re looking for reasons for skepticism, it’s this: the Cowboys moved on from Moore last season and their offense improved, and the Chargers did not make the jump they hoped for with Moore last season and the coaching staff was fired. To the latter point, the injuries were clearly a factor. Justin Herbert missed four games and Mike Williams played three games, but the Chargers still went from sleeper Super Bowl pick to top five in the draft. 

The Cowboys offense was not as effective through the first five games of the season as it was under Moore before catching fire. It’s worth exploring how much of Moore’s concepts they used as the season progressed, but it clearly was not Moore calling the plays. (This is also where the menu vs. play-caller conversation comes into play.) And there seemed to be some fatigue about Moore’s offense by the end, although the results still put them near the top of the league.

But these are both reasonable points for skepticism. How the Eagles perform this season will answer that question. Moore was a top offensive coordinator candidate this offseason regardless of how the Chargers played last season, which is presumably why the Eagles acted fast. The hot candidate is not always the best candidate. Considering the state of the Eagles, though, this seems like the right hire to make.

3. Sirianni said the Eagles will blend the fresh ideas from the new coordinators with the concepts they’ve used during the past three years, and my guess is you’ll see that most in the running game. Moore is known as a pass-heavy coach, and his rushing offense — especially situationally — is a weak spot. (See ESPN’s Dan Orlovosky’s reaction from Sunday.) 

This is where the Eagles can rely upon offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who is also the Eagles’ running game coordinator, and has worked under Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson, and Sirianni with the Eagles. Stoutland’s understanding of what run-game concepts work best with this offense (and with Jalen Hurts) can be advantageous, and should be utilized by Moore to ensure the Eagles are efficient on the ground.

4. As with everything involving the Eagles offense, the Jalen Hurts part of this cannot be ignored. The Eagles need to maximize Hurts. Sirianni said he wants an offensive coordinator who can work with quarterbacks. Moore fits the description. He played six years in the NFL and was a backup quarterback for Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, and Dak Prescott. He was Prescott’s quarterbacks coach and then his offensive coordinator. He understands the way quarterbacks think and operate in the NFL, and he also knows how to deal with high-profile teammates. Dez Bryant was his locker mate in Dallas. He oversaw an offense that included Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Jason Witten, and Ezekiel Elliott. Moore won’t be overwhelmed by coaching a franchise quarterback or top-of-the-league pass catchers. 

Also, due respect to Prescott and Herbert, Moore has not coached a quarterback who is as dangerous on the ground as Hurts. The Eagles didn’t embrace Hurts’ legs enough last season. I’m interested to see how Moore makes that a part of the offense in Philadelphia.

5. Finally, there’s always curiosity about what this means for Sirianni. I give Sirianni credit for adding someone with Moore’s track record. Whether it was pushed upon him or made at his urging, it takes humility for a coach with his offensive background to empower someone with Moore’s credentials and different approach on offense. With Moore and Vic Fangio, the Eagles will have two established coordinators with considerable experience in charge of their units. 

Want a successful head coach? Get him good players and a good coaching staff. That’s a nice place to start.

And if you’re worried about the Eagles having a good year and then needing to replace Moore, let that be the Eagles’ biggest problem. Every offensive coordinator job has turned over since 2021. Either the Eagles win and Moore is a hot candidate for a top job, or the Eagles underachieve and the staff is fired. But you shouldn’t focus on finding someone for five years in that position. Find someone who can help you win next season and then figure out the rest from there.