The Philadelphia Eagles are continuing to tinker with their coaching staff this offseason. On Thursday, Bleeding Green's Brandon Lee Gowton reported that offensive line coach and running game coordinator Jeff Stoutland could be returning in a "reduced role."
It is complete insanity to reduce the role of an incredibly accomplished coach who has more than proven he isn't the problem in Philadelphia. Stoutland was the run game coordinator when Saquon Barkley put up an incredible 2024 season and the offensive line coach when the Tush-Push was deemed unstoppable.
Opting to reduce the role of such an accomplished coach is disrespectful and ignores the obvious issues that plagued last season's Eagles offense.
There was a lack of roster chemistry, no urgency, and the play calling was abysmal, none of which should be a reason to lessen the role of Stoutland, who now has every reason to find a new landing spot. His accomplishments speak for themselves, having won two Super Bowls with the Eagles and two BCS National Championships under Nick Saban at Alabama as the offensive line coach.
Eagles Flying Towards a Split with Jeff Stoutland
Stoutland has a resume that speaks to a coach more than capable of expanding his role, not sitting back and watching his leadership be reduced. This opens the door to Stoutland potentially walking away and attempting to find a more stable landing spot.
One rough season and the Eagles are ready to disrespect more than a decade of experience and production from an established coach. This illustrates how lost the franchise appears to be and why Stoutland might be forced into an offseason exit. It is hard to blame the coach if he does opt to walk away and refuse to accept a reduced role, as he deserves every opportunity to be in the spotlight after what he's done in Philly since 2013.
So much of the Eagles' drama appears to be self-inflicted, unable to get out of their own way. It does fall in line, though, with head coach Nick Sirianni's questionable resume when it comes to managing his players and making coaching decisions. Sirianni is unquestionably under fire to get the offensive coordinator hire correct, and pushing Stoutland into a lesser role while attempting to do so isn't doing him any favors.
In truth, as respected as Stoutland might be, all will be forgiven if the Eagles can fix the offense and find the right OC. Still, it'd be a massive blow to lose an offensive line coach who helped develop a long list of Philadelphia stalwarts, including Jason Kelce and Jordan Mailata.
No question, Stoutland would be well within his rights to leave the Eagles, especially if they don't view him as a key part of their future. That doesn't mean a potential exit will hurt any less, though.