Philadelphia Eagles fans will never forget how awful it was to see quarterback Jalen Hurts and the offense regress as severely as they did in 2023 under then-offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. Two years later, people are bracing for a similar result with new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, but this time, it'll be different.
This offseason, after winning the Super Bowl, former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore took the head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints. This thrust Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni's right-hand man, Patullo, to take over as offensive coordinator.
The topic all offseason is not whether the offense has the talent to get it done, but whether Patullo is up to the task of running the offense as efficiently as they did in 2024. Philadelphia's star quarterback Jalen Hurts was able to ease people's minds for the time being with his latest comments.
How Hurts and Patullo are building their relationship the right way
After the Eagles completed their only mandatory minicamp workout, Hurts spoke with the media as many of the questions were surrounding working with Patullo and the concerns of how many different play callers Hurts has worked with over the years. While Hurts doesn't keep count, he does know how comfortable he is working with whoever is the leading man calling the shots.
Yeah I think as you get older, you find comfort," Hurts said regarding his relationship with Patullo via CBS Sports Eagles reporter Jeff Kerr. "You're encouraged what you are able to do. That opens the door -- okay maybe there's more that I can do. When I look at it, looking at Coach (Patullo) saying how can he take me to the next level. That's his whole thing when he came here, where his head was. Whatever you do, get more, and advance my game.
"He's been great. I've always had the sponge-like mentality, taking in as much as I can.
Hurts caught fire under Moore's system last year, despite having the lowest number of passing yards since his rookie season. However, he did achieve a career-high in completion percentage (68.7%) and passer rating (103.7). He showed that he could adapt quickly to a new scheme and perfom well.
Patullo comes in as offensive coordinator after serving as the pass game coordinator since 2021, and was added as associate head coach in 2023. His tight work relationship with Sirianni and his hands-on approach to the offense's game planning have been essential in Patullo being more ready for the moment than Johnson was in 2023.
Hurts seems to be able to sense that difference as well as he and Patullo work on their chemistry as offensive coordinator and quarterback.
"There is a dynamic of that, that kinda already exists, it's just a matter if it gets called in the game," Hurts said. "Coach [Patullo] has always had a say and played a role. ... He's in charge of the offense and so I think he's been doing a great job of that with what we've been able to do.
On the other side of it, there is a dynamic of adaptability that you have to be able to have and find success regardless of what the leadership looks like, what the voice is, who's in the quarterback room coaching me or who's out there calling plays.
And so that's really where I put my energy at trying to decode these things and kinda figure it out on my terms a little bit and find a way to make it go."
Many in the media want to perpetuate this narrative, as they can't let go of what happened in 2023. This is a much different team from the 2023 team. From a much-improved defense to more weapons on offense (Saquon Barkley), this team is set up for more success in 2025 than they were in 2023.
Patullo has the tools around him to be successful and has the quarterback in Hurts to execute the run. The Eagles will be okay. It may be a slow start, but this is too talented of a team to duplicate what happened in 2023.
