It’s a source of pride when the Eagles lose a coordinator to a head coaching job.
Heck, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni encourages it. He goes so far as to detail his decision-making process with coordinators so they have an idea of the responsibilities they might face.
Sirianni did this with his former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen before Steichen became the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach following the 2022 Super Bowl season. And he did it with his former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon before he left to become the Arizona Cardinals head coach.
Sirianni would surely love for that to happen for his current offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. That is, except for one team.
That team, of course, is the one that on Thursday reportedly requested to interview Moore: The Dallas Cowboys.
It would make sense that the Cowboys would consider Moore a top candidate to replace Mike McCarthy, who was fired on Monday. Moore was a backup quarterback for the Cowboys in 2015, then worked his way up Dallas’ coaching ladder, ultimately serving as offensive coordinator from 2019-22.
He became the Chargers OC in 2023 and the Eagles’ OC this season.
Moore, 35, has the bona-fides to be a head coach, working with quarterback Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts as offensive coordinator. The Cowboys and Eagles both had top 10 offenses under Moore.
And, well, it seems like the Cowboys’ job would be enticing to Moore.
“I spent a lot of time there, eight years there,” Moore said this week. “So I have plenty of relationships in that place.”
Then he added: “I love it here. I’ve had so much fun here. It’s been a really fun process, and we’re in a really special situation right now, getting the chance to play this Sunday, having a chance to make a run at this thing. That’s really all you worry about. Everything else is what it is, and we’ll see where it takes you.”
Certainly, Eagles fans revel in the fact that the Cowboys have gone 30 years since they last won a Super Bowl, or advanced as far as an NFC Championship game.
If Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is serious about ending that drought, he would hire Moore because of his potential as a head coach − and because Moore knows the inner workings of the Cowboys’ main NFC East rival, the Eagles.
Who better to devise a defensive plan to stop Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and Company than someone who knows their strengths and weaknesses inside and out?
Remember, the Eagles and Cowboys play each other twice each season.
That’s much different than if Moore were to go to one of the other two teams who are known to have shown interest − the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom the Eagles would play once every four seasons; or the New Orleans Saints, whom the Eagles would play every three seasons, give or take.
In addition, Moore is already very familiar with the Cowboys main offensive stars in Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb from his time in Dallas.
Plus, Moore could divulge Eagles’ offensive secrets to edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, and cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Sure, that knowledge alone might not be enough to stop the Eagles, but it certainly would give the Cowboys a leg up.
“I think Kellen is very detailed in everything that he does. Very smart,” Sirianni said last week, before the Cowboys were looking for a coach. “He played at a very high level and done this at a very high level, so he can relate to the players in that aspect.
“Puts the guys in good positions to succeed. Can lead men. Is a good leader of men. You know, as I get to sit here and watch him install the offense, you can see that, and you can say, ‘Man, he’d be great in front of the team.’”
Granted, the Cowboys are early in the search process, and the Eagles are preparing for the Rams this Sunday in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. If the Eagles keep advancing, the Cowboys or another team might have to wait until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 to hire Moore.
But that depends on Jones’ patience level. He is apparently also interested in University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, former Jets coach Robert Saleh, among others. And Sanders would certainly be a big splash for Jones, who seems to care about the glitz and glamor as much as he does about the Xs and Os.
Coach Prime, however, can’t go to the transfer portal to change the roster like he did at Colorado.
So if Jones is serious about ending the Cowboys’ championship drought, Moore would be his ideal candidate for what he knows about the Cowboys − and for what he knows about the Eagles.
That would be a tough blow for the Eagles