Eagles RB Backs Polarizing Head Coach Nick Sirianni

The Philadelphia Eagles are fortunate to have Nick Sirianni leading the charge.

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on after an NFC Wild Card Round game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There are few head coaches in the National Football League more scrutinized than Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni.

If you didn't know anything about the Eagles or Sirianni and simply just looked at the numbers, the criticism would shock you. Sirianni has coached the Eagles for five seasons. Over that stretch, the franchise has gone 59-26, has won three NFC East titles, made two Super Bowl appearances and won Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs. Sirianni actually has the fifth-highest winning percentage by a head coach in National Football League history, behind just Guy Chamberlin, John Madden, Vince Lombardi and George Allen.

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It's Philadelphia, though. The expectations are high and are borderline unrealistic at times. The Eagles have won two straight NFC East titles and yet FOX Sports reporter Ralph Vacchiano listed Sirianni as the coach with the second-hottest seat heading into 2026, behind just New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn.

AJ Dillon came to Nick Sirianni's defense

Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back AJ Dillon (29) runs the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

It's wild and the criticism is seemingly endless. But it doesn't appear the outside noise carries over to the locker room itself. For example, running back AJ Dillon sat down for an interview with FanSided's Sterling Holmes and came to Sirianni's defense.

"He’s like a motivator," Dillon said. "He’s a player’s coach in the sense that he’ll come to talk to you. He’s obviously got a bunch of knowledge of the game, but I feel like where he really excels is just the ability to kind of get the guys going, get the people, as they say, [to] ‘run through a wall.’ He can get you to that moment with real-world examples of things and just kind of really get guys motivated to go out there day in and day out."

Sirianni is a polarizing figure. It seems as though some love him and others hate him. Regardless, the Eagles have won at a rate that other teams simply haven't over the last few years. It's easy to criticize, but the grass isn't always greener.

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