On The Eagles: Does Reducing Jeff Stoutland's Role Make Sense

PHILADELPHIA - With the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff in flux and some changes still to come at the position coach level, the big question will be where legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland fits in.

Presumably, Stoutland, 63, will be back, perhaps with a reduced role, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

Obviously, Philadelphia’s running game had a significant drop-off in 2025 after a historic 2024 season in which Saquon Barkley went from “2KSA” and the most rushing yards in history when you factor in the postseason (2,504) to being hit before the line of scrimmage 84 times with 41 negative runs last season, according to SumerSports.

Basically, 30% of the time Barkley ran the football last season, he was stuck in neutral before trying to clear the traffic in his face.

That led to more under-center work for quarterback Jalen Hurts to help disguise Barkley's runs better, which helped for a short period before regressing to the mean of what 2025 was.

RUN GAME REDUCTION?

Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Eric Kendricks (43) tackles Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) during the second quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The reduced role for Stoutland would presumably be removing the run game coordinator duties from his job description, a role he’s had since 2018, the season after the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII win.

Since then, the Eagles’ ground attack has been among the NFL’s best through different head coaches, offensive coordinators, and personnel.

So why the hiccup now?

Stoutland’s run-game philosophy is based on physicality, technique, and fundamentals, as well as meticulous preparation.

It’s generally been a blend of zone and gap schemes tailored to the personnel on hand. It’s also not overly complex, however, and that has become a problem in Philadelphia, where “creativity” has suddenly become a synonym for perceived future success.

Enter new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, whose roots stem from the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay trees like so many others in the modern NFL.

That means a run-game philosophy that emphasizes a "wide zone" scheme, designed to create conflict for defenders through motion, misdirection, or personnel.

The belief is that if you can stretch defenses horizontally, vertical rushing lanes will open.

Historically, the wide-zone scheme relies on lighter, more athletic offensive linemen instead of the power presence the Eagles have embraced in recent seasons with Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata particularly.

Shifting from Stoutland's method of operation with those players seems specious although great linemen tend to excel in any system.

In the end, if the Eagles do decide to go in a different direction at run game coordinator, that’s a tough spot for any newcomer based on the standard Stoutland has built in Philadelphia.

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