Eagles’ coach Kevin Patullo named as possible OC for Bears, Matt Eberflus

Bears considering Eagles’ Kevin Patullo for new OC originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Kevin Patullo came with Nick Sirianni from Indianapolis and joined the Philadelphia Eagles as their passing game coordinator.

Now Sirianni is in danger of losing his right-hand man.

The Chicago Bears are hiring former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as their next head coach and the first name floated for his offensive coordinator job? Kevin Patullo.

While there was probably some fear about the Eagles’ potentially losing some staff members if Jonathan Gannon got a head coaching gig elsewhere, maybe we glossed over this possibility. When Sirianni came from Indianapolis, he brought several coaches with him.

And now that Eberflus is leaving for Chicago, he might do the same. Patullo obviously has a connection to him from their time in Indy.

Back in late December, when it looked like Sirianni might miss a game because of COVID, Patullo was ready to step into the interim head coaching role if needed. Ultimately, Sirianni was cleared in time, but that shows how much Sirianni thinks of Patullo.

With the Colts, Patullo was a pass game specialist and also previously held the title of receivers coach. Earlier in his career, he spend time at Texas A&M and with the Jets, Titans, Bills and Chiefs at the NFL level.

The Eagles’ passing game left plenty to be desired in 2021. They finished as the 25th-ranked passing offense in the NFL and attempted just 494 passes, the fewest in the NFL. About halfway through the season, they became a very run-heavy team.

Back in August, Sirianni touted Patullo’s understanding of the RPO game after Patullo’s season at Texas A&M in 2017. Sirianni said that was one of the reasons the Colts brought him to Indy. With the Eagles, Patullo has had his hands in everything in the passing game, spending time with receivers and quarterbacks.

But perhaps Patullo’s biggest role has been just being a sounding board for Sirianni. He’s someone Sirianni trusts.

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READ: What happened to Doug Pederson’s coaching opportunities?

Sirianni has a long history with Patullo and he’d miss him if he leaves.

“I think that’s what Kevin’s been, is just consistently a good coach,” Sirianni said in December. “So, it wasn’t like, ‘Hey, boom, there was a moment and I got to have Kevin.’ It was just – quick story about Kevin actually is that Kevin was the quality control for the Kansas City Chiefs the year before I got there.

“So in 2008, when I was at IUP – I’m actually wearing an IUP sweatshirt today – in 2008 when I was at IUP, Kevin was the quality control for Kansas City. And then in 2009 when I was the quality control, Kevin was with Chan Gailey and Chan Gailey was the coordinator. You know, Kevin was out and I was in because of the new head coaching change and I remember Chan would be like, ‘Hey, call Kevin and get this’ or, ‘Call Kevin and get that.’ And Kevin was so gracious to me when I was in his job and just – so, it just spoke to what type of person Kevin is. That’s kind of why the relationship that I had built with Kevin through the years.

“When I got to the job at Indianapolis and we were hiring a wide receiver coach, Kevin came to mind there just because of a situation that had happened ten years prior with just how good of a person he is. And then, obviously, he’s a good football coach, a really good football coach, too. So, it’s just the consistency of Kevin. And I’m just really glad he’s here. And I know he’ll – if I’m not able to be there with the game management stuff, he’ll do a great job.”

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Here’s a complete look at Patullo’s career:

2021-current: Eagles, Passing game coordinator

2020: Colts, Pass game specialist

2018-19: Colts, Wide receivers

2017: Texas A&M, Senior offensive analyst

2015-16: Jets, Quarterbacks

2014: Titans, Assistant wide receivers

2012: Bills, Assistant wide receivers

2010-11: Bills, Offensive quality control

2007-08: Chiefs, Offensive quality control

2004-06: Arizona, Offensive graduate assistant

2003-04: South Florida, Offensive graduate assistant