Eagles Will Get First Hand Look in Week 2 At What Might Have Been In Brian Daboll

PHILADELPHIA - Brian Daboll did not sound like a former NFC East rival sizing up his next opponent. Instead, the veteran offensive mind seemed like a prideful mentor, gushing about the heights his one-time Padawan has reached in Philadelphia.

Daboll and Nick Sirianni worked together on Romeo Crennel's Kansas City coaching staff in 2012, where Daboll was the offensive coordinator and Sirianni was the wide receivers coach.

It was a difficult time for the Chiefs, who finished 2-14 that season, but Sirianni has always credited Daboll for taking an interest in an emerging young coach and teaching him many of the details of the profession that the successful Eagles coach still uses to this day.

The relationship continued even after the two went their separate ways. Daboll went on to coach Jalen Hurts at Alabama in 2017 and introduced Sirianni’s future quarterback to the coach at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2020.

The two then ended up as head coaches in the NFC East, with Sirianni’s Eagles juggernaut usually getting the best of Daboll’s struggling New York Giants.

Through it all, the two remained friends based on mutual respect, and Daboll was one of many names bandied about as a potential Eagles OC this offseason before Sean Mannion “revealed” himself to Sirianni.

There was a lot of misinformation peddled about Daboll’s decision to go to Tennessee and eschew working for the Eagles.

According to multiple NFL sources, things never got that serious with Daboll and the Eagles, who were very interested in the veteran coach.

Daboll’s plan was always Nashville to be the OC under his close friend Robert Saleh if he didn’t get the head-coaching job in Buffalo. He told the Eagles that early in the process, according to multiple sources.

Mutual Respect

Sep 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts to a play against the Washington Commanders during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Thursday in Music City. Daboll praised Sirianni directly.

“We got a great opponent coming up. Coach Sirianni is an excellent head coach, 42-4 when he wins the turnover ratio – pretty impressive stat, so that’s going to be paramount,” he said, before extending the compliment to the rest of Philadelphia’s operation, including defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and general manager Howie Roseman.

“Coach Fangio has been doing it for 40 years in the NFL plus whatever he did in college. Tremendous scheme, very sound. Does a great job of showing two-high looks and dropping down so we’re gonna have to be good on our post-snap reads. And then you add the collection of players that Howie assembles each and every year it’s a tough challenge.

“So, definitely got to be better than we were last week.”

The comments came as Daboll and the Titans (0-1) prepare for a Sunday matchup with the Eagles (1-0), who opened the season with a 24-22 win over Washington.

The Titans are coming off a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets, and Daboll spent much of his weekly press conference taking responsibility for an offense that generated little explosiveness.

Sunday’s assignment is a difficult one for Daboll as he tries to build 2025 No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward into a capable NFL starter at quarterback with limited resources on a rebuilding roster.

Sirianni isn't sleeping on Daboll's ability to do just that.

“I think he’s a really good football coach,” Sirianni said when asked by Eagles On SI about his former boss. “Really into how to attack people on the offensive side of the ball. Fundamentals, accountability. Those would be some of the main things I took from him. Knowledge of the defense with his defensive background.

“So, always have had a lot of respect for him and I just think he’s a heck of a coach.”

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