It’s been an abysmal year for the Eagles on the field this season. At 4-10-1, with an offense in the bottom third of the league in nearly every category, and a head coach and franchise quarterback that seem out of touch with one another, many fans are expecting big changes this offseason.
No one truly knows what owner Jeffrey Lurie is thinking right now. But if we’re to believe some of the recent reports from the organization, it doesn’t seem like Lurie is quite ready to blow everything up and start over.
A few weeks back, a report surfaced from the Philadelphia Inquirer that Lurie hasn’t even contemplated firing general manager Howie Roseman. A person that the bulk of the fanbase places the majority of the blame for the Eagles current state of affairs. He’s certainly had his troubles in drafting players, and his cap management ability has regressed in recent years as well, but the quiet hiring of former Browns and Chiefs GM John Dorsey may be an indication of what the front office could look like moving forward.
Dorsey’s current role in the Eagles front office is as a consultant, but it’s reasonable to believe the organization brought him in with a more prominent position in mind. Perhaps, Lurie wanted to bring him in early to prep him for taking on personnel control this offseason.
It’s not that far fetched, and it would surely be a breath of fresh air from our current personnel department. Promoting Dorsey to the quote on quote “general manager” role doesn’t necessarily mean Roseman will be shown the door. If Roseman isn’t tasked with making every personnel decision, he’d be able to focus more closely on cap management and handing out contracts to players Dorsey wants to bring in.
Say what you want about Dorsey, but he’s made several solid draft picks during his time with the Chiefs and Browns. He traded up to draft Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, and essentially every key starter on the Browns roster was brought in by Dorsey.
The dynamic between Dorsey and Roseman would be interesting to see unfold. The personnel department would be undoubtedly improved with Dorsey calling the shots.
As for head coach Doug Pederson, throughout the season, it felt like he would be the most likely guy to get fired. But on Monday, Pederson said he “fully expects” to be back as the head coach in Philly next season. He and Lurie have a solid working relationship and they meet every week to talk about the state of the team. I don’t think Pederson would just come out and say he’s going to be back unless Lurie told him personally that he’d be back.
Pederson certainly deserves blame for the product we’ve seen on the field this season — he is the head coach after all. But the team still loves Doug and they play hard for him every week despite not being a very good team. There’s something to be said for a head coach that can consistently rally his guys to get up and play, even when the season may feel like it’s over.
Even though Pederson had his chance to get a real offensive coordinator in here last offseason, Lurie may be willing to give him another shot at it. It’s obvious that the current offensive coaching staff just isn’t cutting it. There are too many voices and the offense has failed to find any kind of identity this season.
Lurie has never been the type of owner to cut his ties in the face of adversity. Chip Kelly is the lone exception, but it was clear at the time that Chip didn’t have the kind of respect for the organization that Lurie wants out of his head coach.
Lurie’s been doing this for a long time, he has a good feel for when a team and a head coach can be rectified. There’s no way of knowing this, but part of me believes Lurie regrets ever firing Andy Reid, who’s had plenty of success with his new team in Kansas City.
Maybe that’s been in the back of mind this whole season. Maybe he wants to give both Doug and Howie the benefit of the doubt and give them a chance to fix this mess.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Lurie bring both of them back next season, and it shouldn’t surprise you either.