Eagles Head Coach Research Tracker

As the Philadelphia Eagles continue to conduct their head coach search, we’ll cover each legitimate candidate individually, while letting this page serve as a central tracker.

It’s worth noting that the Eagles are likely to interview a large number of candidates, as they will be driven in part via Zoom meetings, and can be executed without the need to travel. In other words, here it is expected that this tracker will be filled with many names and that there will be a lot of updates. Bookmark, please.

Most recent updates at the top of this list:

Jerod Mayo, Patriots linebacker coach

As a coach, Mayo has only two years of experience. His official title was “Inside Linebackers Coach” which doesn’t sound like much, but his role was bigger than that title suggests. The Patriots do not have an official “defensive coordinator” on their staff. Mayo and outside linebacker coach Steve Belichick were among the top two defensive assistants under Bill Belichick. It’s also worth noting that Brian Flores was “only” the Patriots linebacker coach when the Miami Dolphins hired him as head coach in 2019.

Mayo was considered a fierce leader and a very intelligent player on the field during his time playing, and at just 34 years old he is clearly seen as a young riser as an NFL coach. Still, it’s probably too early for Mayo to take a big step forward to head coach at such a young age and with just two years of coaching experience.

More information on Mayo here.

Mike Kafka, Chiefs QB coach

Eagles would be interested in Kafka. We’ll cover it in more detail if / when a report emerges that the Eagles intend to interview him.

Todd Bowles, DC Buccaneers

Bowles was with the Eagles for a season, and even served as the defensive coordinator to end the disastrous 2012 season after the team sacked Juan Castillo.

Most notably, Bowles got a head coach gig with the Jets, which lasted four years and didn’t go well. The Jets were actually 10-6 under Bowles in 2015 with Fitzpatrick as quarterback in his first season there. However, he eventually compiled a 24-40 record with the Jets, winning just 14 games in his last three years. In all fairness, besides Fitzpatrick, his quarterbacks were Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, and rookie Sam Darnold, plus an otherwise bad roster.

As a defensive coordinator, Bowles performed well. In 2020, the Buccaneers had the best running defense in the NFL. They were No. 1 in opposing rush attempts, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns and rushing yards. In that sense, his “stop the run first” style of defense is similar to the approach we’ve seen over the years from Jim Schwartz.

More information on Bowles here.

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Robert Saleh, 49ers DC

Saleh would likely be the head coach already, if not for a coach search a year ago that worked against him. He was a hot name, but because the 49ers went to the Super Bowl and there were only three head coaching positions, he had to wait a year.

The Niners’ defense was outstanding in 2019 and Saleh kept this unit at a high level (sixth in DVOA) in 2020 despite an abnormal number of injuries at all three levels of defense. Saleh is known for his demonstrative emotion on the sidelines of games, to which his players seem to respond.

If Saleh lands a head coaching job, it is believed he will bring Niners offensive assistants with him, who will set up a widely hailed version of Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

More information on Saleh here.

Arthur Smith, OC Titans

Smith has been with the Titans since 2011, surviving three head coach layoffs. He’s been their offensive coordinator since 2019. With a defensive-minded head coach in Mike Vrabel, Smith had the opportunity to run the show offensively for Tennessee, and during the two years he was their offensive coordinator , the Titans got good. results. In 2020, they were second in the NFL in points and fourth in yards.

Sure, Derrick Henry gets the lion’s share of the credit for fueling the attack on the Titans (and rightly so), but Smith’s offense also helped make Ryan Tannehill a legitimately good starting quarterback of the NFL.

More information on Smith here.

Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma HC

Riley is arguably the top coaching candidate for the college ranks as he racked up a 45-8 record in Oklahoma while developing a pair of No. 1 overall quarterbacks and Heisman winners at Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Riley also coached Jalen Hurts for a year, and Hurts finished that season as a Heisman voting finalist.

Riley is seen as an innovative offensive spirit, evidently in the passing game, but also in the running game, whose ploys have been stolen by numerous NFL offenses. Are Riley’s faults successful because of his ploy or because he has developed the talents of his quarterbacks? Either way, he’s a winner in this debate.

More information on Riley here.

Update: Inquirer’s Paul Domowitch reports that Riley “seems happy to stay where he is for the moment.”

Duce Staley, assistant HC Eagles, coach RB

Jeffrey Lurie said at his press conference on Monday that Staley would stand a chance.

“I would expect Duce Staley to be a candidate,” Lurie said. “He’s a great representative of the Eagles and knows our values. I would expect him to be part of the research, too.”

Unlike the other candidates on this list, Staley has no experience as a coordinator or head coach, however, he has the mental makeup and leadership skills to oversee a roster. If Staley were to become the head coach, the Eagles would likely look to pair him up with an offensive play call coordinator.

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