The Eagles have a replacement for legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, and he’s another sign that new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is being given the power to build the new offensive staff that he wants.
According to NFL Network, Chris Kuper, who coached under Vic Fangio with the Broncos and spent the last four years as Kevin O’Connell’s offensive line coach with the Vikings, is Mannion’s choice as offensive line coach.
Kuper’s contract with the Vikings expired at the end of the 2025 season, and he was not retained, so he was a coaching free agent before the Eagles hired him.
This is a crucial hire as the Eagles try to move on from Stoutland, who coached 27 Pro Bowl linemen in 13 years as offensive line coach, was seen as a brilliant developer of young talent and was so highly regarded by his players and everyone in the NovaCare Complex.
Mannion played for the Vikings in 2023 with Kuper on the coaching staff, so that’s two new offensive coaches that Mannion has connections with. Mannion also hired Ryan Mahaffey as new running game coordinator and tight ends coach. Mannion and Mahaffey coached together for four years in Green Bay.
There’s no stronger sign that Mannion is being given the power to bring in his own coaches than when he adds coaches that he has connections with. After last year’s disastrous offensive performance under Kevin Patullo, the Eagles desperately need a fresh approach and a new coordinator with the power to bring in his own coaches is an encouraging sign that Mannion and not Nick Sirianni or Howie Roseman is making these decisions.
The Eagles’ other new offensive coach, passing game coordinator Josh Grizzard, doesn’t have a previous connection with Mannion, although Grizzard and Kuper were both with the Dolphins in 2018 and 2019 under Adam Gase.
Kuper, 43, played at North Dakota and was the Broncos’ 5th-round pick in 2006. He spent eight seasons with the Broncos under Mike Shanahan, Josh Daniels and John Fox, playing in 90 games with 79 starts, mainly at right guard.
After a year coaching at Columbine High in Colorado in 2015, he began his NFL coaching career in 2016 as a quality control coach with the Dolphins under Adam Gase on a staff that also included Ben Johnson. He was promoted to assistant offensive line coach in 2017 and then served the same role from 2019 through 2021 under Fangio. He got his first o-line coach in Minnesota with O’Connell in 2022.
During his four years in Minnesota, the Vikings allowed 203 sacks, the 5th-most in the NFL during that span and 40 more than the Eagles allowed in the same span. They were 43-25, the 5th-best won-loss record in the league, and they were 14th scoring. Right tackle Brian O’Neill was a Pro Bowler in 2024 under Kuper.