Head Coach Nick Sirianni made it very clear speaking with the media what he was looking for in his next offensive coordinator – someone with a new way of looking at this side of the football, a coach who would add new elements to help maximize the top-tier talent the Eagles possess.
Someone to take the offense to another level in its growth.
"There's going to be things that they bring that are going to be fresh ideas for us to help our players grow and help our players play at the top level, and there have been some things that we've done really well on offense, too, in the past that you'll mesh in some of that together, as well, I think with some of the success that we've had these last three years and the things that our guys do well," Sirianni said. "So I'm excited about that, the new ideas meshing with some of the old ideas. We'll see how that continues to go as we go through our offseason process and where we land with that."
The Eagles landed on Kellen Moore, an NFL coach since 2018 with Dallas, first as an assistant and then as offensive coordinator from 2019-22 and then with the Los Angeles Chargers as offensive coordinator for the 2023 season.
"As an accomplished offensive coordinator, a former NFL player, and a Heisman finalist, Kellen has shown a tremendous ability to lead an offense at every level of the sport while gaining the trust and respect of his players and teammates," Sirianni said. "He is an incredibly smart football coach whose depth of knowledge of the game has helped him become a talented playcaller in this league. During Kellen's tenure as an NFL coach, he has helped to develop some of the best quarterbacks in the league and directed some of its best offenses. We are thrilled to have Kellen join our team."
An undrafted quarterback from Boise State in 2012 – he was a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2011 – who played six seasons in the NFL with Detroit and Dallas, the 34-year-old Moore has been considered in league circles a bright, young mind on the rise.
In Dallas overseeing the offense, Moore – who called the offensive plays from 2020-22 there – enjoyed considerable success, twice leading the Cowboys to a league-best output in yards and once (2021 season) leading the NFL in scoring (30.4 points per game). Dallas averaged a whopping 401.4 yards per game in that regular season. In 2022, Dallas ranked second in the NFL in points per game in the regular season (28.8) and led the league in red-zone touchdown efficiency (71.34 percent).
In those four seasons Moore oversaw the offense, the Cowboys averaged the second-most points per game in the NFL (27.7) and were second in the NFL in total offense (391 net yards per game) with top 10 passing and rushing production. They also ranked in the top four in third-down percentage (44 percent) in those four seasons.
Moore's season in Los Angeles was marred by significant injuries throughout the offense, including the loss of star quarterback Justin Herbert to injury for the final month of the season. Prior to the injury, Herbert had 20 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions as the Chargers averaged 23 points per game.
Entering Week 6 of the 2023 season and just before injuries really took their toll on the attack, the Chargers ranked fifth in the NFL in total offense, averaging 388.8 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. Herbert was third in the league with a 106.3 passer rating and had led the Chargers to 13 touchdowns and six field goals in 44 possessions.
A finalist for the Miami Dolphins head coaching job in 2022, Moore that year was named the second-best offensive playcaller in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. The Chargers blocked Moore from interviews, valuing his talents, prior to hiring Jim Harbaugh as head coach last week.
The Eagles moved quickly on Moore, looking to add that special spark to a 2023 offense that ranked seventh in the league averaging 26.4 points per game as quarterback Jalen Hurts threw 23 touchdown passes and rushed for 15 scores, wide receiver A.J. Brown enjoyed an All-Pro and career-best season with 106 receptions for 1,456 yards and 7 touchdowns, and wide receiver DeVonta Smith had 81 catches for 1,066 and 7 touchdowns in the regular season. Running back D'Andre Swift enjoyed his first 1,000-yard rushing season and made the Pro Bowl, as did three offensive linemen – right tackle Lane Johnson, center Jason Kelce, and left guard Landon Dickerson.
Even with some anticipated roster changes ahead, the Eagles return a lot to the offense and Moore was hired, as Sirianni said at the end-of-season press conference, "to be in charge of the offense" and return to the top of the NFL in production.
