PHILADELPHIA — It’s now Week 3 of the Philadelphia Eagles’ search for an offensive coordinator, and based on the way it’s discussed, you would think they’re the Cleveland Browns searching for a head coach and not the reigning Super Bowl champions.

They have two weeks left to use that description. One would assume they’ll find someone to lead their offense by then.

It didn’t feel that way Monday. Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle and LSU offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. pulled out of the Eagles’ search, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. Those coaches were of interest to the Eagles, and they elected to keep their current roles. It came within the same social media scroll as Mike McDaniel formally accepting the Los Angeles Chargers job and the Browns having another coach pull out of consideration for their top job, which is why it might have seemed your news feed lumped them together in the “thanks, but no thanks” category — especially after a weekend when it was learned that Bobby Slowik is staying in Miami as offensive coordinator and a few days after Zac Robinson took the offensive coordinator role in Tampa Bay.

It’s important not to conflate an interview with an offer, and there are times a coach pulling out might be an indication that the team is not interested, and withdrawing from consideration is a friendly public compromise. Inside the Eagles’ building, the belief is they’re being thorough and not abiding by an arbitrary timeline.

McDaniel and Brian Daboll were targets early in the search, representing former head coaches and established play callers. McDaniel already signed on with the Chargers. Daboll, who is still a candidate for the top job in Buffalo and Las Vegas, is expected to land in Tennessee if he doesn’t land either of those. Doyle and Weis preferred their current set-ups — Doyle working closely with Ben Johnson and on a head-coaching track in Chicago, and Weis following Lane Kiffin to LSU to run the offense at a major college program.

The Eagles do not publicly reveal their interviews, preferring a taciturn operation. When they promoted Kevin Patullo last winter, they were required to interview at least one external minority or female candidate, per league rules, but they never revealed the identity of the candidate. They vowed to cast a wide net this year, but the breadth of the search is only revealed via media reports. At this point, there have been 13 candidates publicly linked to the job: McDaniel, Daboll, Zac Robinson, Jim Bob Cooter, Bobby Slowik, Josh Grizzard, Doyle, Mike Kafka, Matt Nagy, Arthur Smith, Weis, Frank Smith and Jerrod Johnson. Not all were formally interviewed.

Among that group, Grizzard, Cooter, Nagy, Smith, and Johnson are still in contention. (Daboll is also still interviewing for jobs.) Most of the candidates have established NFL play-calling experience, although the late inclusions of Doyle, Smith and Johnson would suggest consideration for coaches who lack those responsibilities. There’s also the possibility that the Eagles add to their search. Smith and Johnson did not surface until Monday. If Joe Brady does not land the head-coaching job in Buffalo or Las Vegas, he could quickly emerge as a candidate. The Eagles were also intrigued by the possibility of coaches on teams in the championship game. This all factored into the timeline. They did not share the rush that the fan base feels.

Once McDaniel and Daboll chose other options, there was a commitment to casting a wide net. One unidentified benefit from the search that landed them Nick Sirianni in 2021 was exposure to different coaches and ideas. That search started with 25 candidates and included 10 in-person interviews. By the time they hired Sirianni, they met with multiple coaches who had since become head coaches — a process that left the Eagles’ decision-makers feeling better informed about the league and different approaches and philosophies.

The Eagles went through a similarly long process before hiring Nick Sirianni as head coach. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)

What could seem like panic trying to find a coordinator could also be categorized as a process. Whether that’s a reality or a rationalization will only be known once the hire materializes. In 2010, the Eagles named offensive line coach Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator after an extended search. That did not work out. In 2021, they hired Sirianni after it seemed they might have missed on other candidates. Sirianni now has the highest winning percentage of any active coach.

But they’re still sitting here after championship weekend without an offensive coordinator. Among teams with a returning head coach, they’re the last team remaining with that job open. That’s led to the question of the desirability of the job.

This role has been a springboard for three head coaches in the past decade. It’s a high-profile team with a head coach and quarterback who’ve made the postseason together for five consecutive seasons, been to two of the past three Super Bowls, and hugged the Lombardi Trophy 12 months ago. The owner and the general manager would rank near the top as the best in the league. A successful coach could propel his career with this job. NFL analyst Greg Olsen was a guest on the New Heights podcast and said, “If I’m an offensive play caller, I’m doing everything in my power to get that job.” 

And yet…

There are multiple factors to consider for the debate.

Any offensive coordinator will focus on the quarterback. Jalen Hurts’ credentials are indisputable. Franchises seek quarterbacks who can lead them to the Super Bowl, and Hurts has already reached the sport’s apex. His two best games have been on the biggest stage. But an accomplished quarterback does not make the quarterback the ideal fit for all systems, and there’s a belief that a system must be adjusted to accentuate the quarterback rather than taking Hurts and fitting him into your system.

One could reasonably push back that the same is said about most quarterbacks. The best at the position have their own preferences and peccadillos. But if you have one summer to implement the offense, you’d better be confident in the quarterback’s fit. The talent around him is also in question. It’s unknown whether A.J. Brown and Lane Johnson will return to the roster next season. The Eagles have a history of fielding a high-powered offense and resources to add talent, but there’s ambiguity about signing on for all the blue-chippers.

Another factor to consider is Philadelphia. In some ways, Philadelphia hurts Philadelphia. This is a high-pressure job with a demanding fan base and intense media attention. Kevin Patullo’s home was vandalized this year, an unfortunate reality that can be unfair to pin on the fan base — an abhorrent act by a fan is not representative of a region that turned out more than one million for a Super Bowl parade — but it’s also like throwing snowballs at Santa Claus. It becomes a black eye attached to the job. It’s easier to be anonymous in Los Angeles. Vic Fangio embraced Philly — and Philly embraced him. This does not need to be a deterrent, although it’s a perception that’s being fought.

The internal pressure is also a reality. The win-now expectations in 2026 likely include Sirianni and his staff. A coordinator candidate can look at the Eagles and see that two offensive coordinators have been fired in the last three years after 11-win seasons. With some franchises, that warrants a contract extension.

This is not to argue that the Eagles should have kept Patullo after a season in which they finished No. 19 in EPA/drive, No. 15 in EPA/dropback and No. 21 in offensive points per game even though it was the most expensive offense in the NFL based on cash spent. But a coach does not come to Philadelphia with the expectation of a three-year runway. And even though Sirianni is offering the coordinator autonomy, there are still powerful stakeholders — from an established coaching staff to a Super Bowl-winning coach to a general manager with a Hall of Fame resume. There is no shortage of voices in Philadelphia.

At the moment, the shortage is at the offensive coordinator position. It’s been two weeks — already longer than it took to hire Kellen Moore in 2024, when the Eagles last made an external hire. They have two weeks left before their description as reigning Super Bowl champions expires. They should have an offensive coordinator by then.

Whether it’s a candidate that will leave Eagles fans excited is a different question — and the answer might not come until this time next year, with the expectation of approaching that Super Bowl description again.