The Philadelphia Eagles' 2025 season may have been defined by one bad hire.
The Eagles tabbed Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator to replace Kellen Moore shortly after winning the Super Bowl. That decision caused star wideout A.J. Brown to crash out, Jalen Hurts to look like a lost quarterback, and running back Saquon Barkley to regress in a disappointing 11-6 season.
One year later, the Eagles may be on the verge of repeating history. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Philadelphia is hiring Chris Kuper as its new offensive line coach to replace Jeff Stoutland.
Finding a replacement for Stoutland, who is considered one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL, was never going to be easy. That doesn't change that, by hiring Kuper, the Eagles may have done more harm than good and made their issues on the interior of the offensive line even worse.
Chris Kuper’s Arrival Is Bad News for Eagles’ Interior Linemen
The Eagles offensive line is anchored by offensive tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, but the interior has been a big question in the early weeks of the offseason. While Cam Jurgens is locked in as the starting center, left guard Landon Dickerson is reportedly considering retirement due to a string of injuries throughout his five-year career.
The right side is also in a state of flux, as Tyler Steen was inconsistent in his first year as a starter, and the Eagles could look for an upgrade.
While the Eagles couldn’t make any personnel moves before the Super Bowl, they did make a schematic change. New offensive coordinator Sean Mannion came from the Green Bay Packers, where head coach Matt LaFleur relies on a zone blocking scheme. With Stoutland’s preference for a power blocking scheme, he decided to part ways after 13 seasons in Philadelphia, clearing the way for Kuper and his zone blocking scheme that he used with the Minnesota Vikings.
This is a good idea in theory to ensure everyone is aligned heading into next season, but it comes with a dangerous caveat. The Vikings weren’t very good at running the ball during Kuper’s tenure, flirting with 4.0 yards per carry before breaking through with 4.5 yards per carry last season. Having Barkley as the centerpiece of the rushing attack is a good way to boost those numbers, but it doesn’t eliminate how bad the Vikings were at preventing interior pressure.
The Athletic’s Alec Lewis also noted in his podcast, "The Alec Lewis Show," that the Vikings’ interior offensive linemen have ranked toward the bottom of the NFL in pressure rate and sacks allowed in each of Kuper’s four years with the Vikings, including finishing last in pressure rate in three of the four seasons.
- 2022: 32nd in pressure rate, 31st in sacks allowed
- 2023: 25th in pressure rate, 14th in sacks allowed
- 2024: 32nd in pressure rate, 24th in sacks allowed
- 2025: 32nd in pressure rate, 31st in sacks allowed
This year was another indictment against Kuper’s performance.
Garrett Bradbury struggled during his time in Minnesota, but didn’t allow a sack during the regular season as the starting center for the New England Patriots. Ed Ingram also had a career year after getting out of Minnesota, posting career highs in overall grade (73.8) and run blocking (79.9) after being traded to the Houston Texans, according to Pro Football Focus.
With the Eagles already having uncertainty with who will be on the interior of the offensive line, they’ve now hired a coach who has struggled to get the most out of that position. All of this makes Kuper a potential repeat of last year’s doomed coaching hire and could sabotage another season in 2026.