The Eagles’ search for a new offensive coordinator just hit another snag. Two of the more intriguing young names linked to the vacancy - Bears OC Declan Doyle and LSU OC Charlie Weis Jr. - have officially withdrawn from consideration, opting to stay put in their current roles.
Let’s start with Doyle, who’s been one of the more buzzworthy names in coaching circles this offseason. At just 29 or 30 years old, he’s already made a name for himself as a rising offensive mind.
After four years with the Saints as an offensive assistant under Sean Payton and Dennis Allen, Doyle followed Payton to Denver, where he coached tight ends for two seasons. When Ben Johnson took over in Chicago, he handed Doyle his first OC job - making him the youngest offensive coordinator in the league.
And while Johnson calls the plays, Doyle still played a big part in an offense that finished top-10 in both yards and points this past season.
The Eagles did get a chance to speak with Doyle - the Bears granted permission, and the interview happened last week - but ultimately, Doyle decided to stay in Chicago and continue building with Johnson.
As for Charlie Weis Jr., he’s another young, creative offensive mind who’s built a solid résumé across the college ranks. At 32, Weis Jr. has already been around the game for more than a decade. He got his start working under his father, Charlie Weis, at Kansas from 2012 to 2014, and had a brief stint in the NFL with the Falcons in 2017 as an offensive assistant under Dan Quinn and Steve Sarkisian.
Since then, he’s built a strong college résumé, serving as OC and quarterbacks coach at Florida Atlantic and South Florida before spending the last four years with Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. When Kiffin accepted the LSU job back in November, Weis Jr. agreed to follow him to Baton Rouge - and now he’s reaffirmed that decision, choosing to remain on Kiffin’s staff rather than pursue the Eagles’ opening.
Both Doyle and Weis Jr. were viewed as out-of-the-box options - young, innovative, and potentially able to inject some much-needed life into an Eagles offense that looked flat and uninspired this past season. Under Kevin Patullo, the unit struggled mightily, and the team made the decision to part ways with him on January 13, just two days after a brutal home playoff loss to the 49ers.
With Doyle and Weis Jr. off the board - and other linked candidates like Mike McDaniel, Bobby Slowik, and Zac Robinson also unavailable - the Eagles are still weighing their remaining options. There’s no shortage of experience among the names still in play.
Former Giants head coach Brian Daboll is on the market, as is ex-Chiefs OC Matt Nagy, former Bucs OC Josh Grizzard, and ex-Giants OC Mike Kafka. Colts OC Jim Bob Cooter, former Dolphins OC Frank Smith, and Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson are also reportedly still available.
The Eagles are clearly casting a wide net, and with the pressure mounting to get this hire right, they’ll need to find someone who can unlock the full potential of an offense that, on paper, still has plenty of firepower. But with two of their more intriguing young targets now out of the mix, the search continues - and the clock is ticking.