The Eagles hired Marty Mornhinweg to serve as a senior offensive consultant on Thursday afternoon.
When Doug Pederson was putting together his coaching staff, he always envisioned having someone who could focus on the big picture and be a fresh set of eyes when it comes to the offensive scheme. Pederson wanted to assemble his position coaches and assistants first, which is why Mornhinweg wasn't initially brought on last month when the other changes were announced. Pederson eyed Mornhinweg as the "final piece" to bring the staff together and made it official on Thursday.
Mornhinweg brings extensive experience at every level from quality control through head coaching. He has a wealth of knowledge to be applied to the offensive side of the ball. Pederson was a quarterback in Green Bay when Mornhinweg was the quarterbacks coach in 1996. The two coached together in Philadelphia from 2009-12.
"He gets what we're doing. He gets my vision. He understands my philosophy," Pederson said on Thursday. "He understands what my goal is and what my vision is for this offense."
Without a specific position group to focus on, Mornhinweg will also be able to help the other assistant coaches on the offensive side. His experience as a coordinator and position coach could be valuable to a number of the coaches on the staff. Press Taylor was recently promoted to be the team's passing game coordinator in addition to his post as quarterbacks coach. The team also added Aaron Moorehead as the wide receivers coach and Andrew Breiner as a passing game analyst. Pederson cited Mornhinweg's demeanor, makeup, philosophy, and track record for the key reasons for bringing him onto the staff.
Mornhinweg returns to Philadelphia where he started as a senior assistant in 2003 and later spent seven seasons as the team's assistant head coach/offensive coordinator. During his 10-year tenure with the Eagles, Mornhinweg was a key component of six top-10 scoring offenses, two of the top five scoring offenses in team history, and three of the top five Eagles offenses in terms of yards gained. From 2008-11, the Eagles ranked in the top eight in scoring each of those four seasons. In 2010, quarterback Michael Vick earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors as the Eagles ranked second in the league in yards and third in points. Football Outsiders rated the Eagles as the top rushing offense and the third-best overall offense that year.
During Mornhinweg's first tenure in Philadelphia, the Eagles made one Super Bowl appearance, reached the NFC Championship Game twice, won four division titles, and earned six playoff appearances.
Most recently, Mornhinweg served as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens from 2016-18. In his final season, Mornhinweg overhauled the offense midseason to transition from veteran pocket passer Joe Flacco to rookie dual-threat Lamar Jackson. The first-round pick went 6-1 as a starter as the Ravens rallied to win the AFC North. Despite the change, Baltimore finished ninth in yards gained.
"I think from that standpoint it helps from an ideas perspective – how they used Lamar, what they were doing with their tight ends. The run game is a little different and unique than what ours is," Pederson said. "From that standpoint, having that information and knowing that structure can enhance what we're doing by bringing an idea or two from that system."
