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Much has been made about the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason changes, but Jeff Stoutland's departure hasn't garnered much attention.
Yet, ESPN's Ben Solak explained why there could be an adjustment from the longtime Eagles O-line coach to first-year coach Chris Kuper.
Stoutland had been the O-line coach in Philadelphia since 2013. But he resigned after the 2025 season and was replaced by the former NFL lineman, who had been with Mannion with the Minnesota Vikings, when the Eagles OC was the backup quarterback to Kirk Cousins.
Kuper, head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion are on notice, which is why Solak named Kuper's addition one of the most compelling storylines to watch.
ESPN Analyst: Jeff Stoutland's Departure is Underreported
Solak conceded A.J. Brown's exit and with Sean Mannion taking over for one-and-done offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo have commanded more headlines. But he also noted Stoutland's departure as an unheralded development.
"With Brown goes Jeff Stoutland, the team's offensive line coach since 2013," Solak wrote. "He's a less evident absence, but perhaps a more impactful one. The Eagles' offensive line was the best in the league during their championship runs, but last season's group suffered mightily with injury and will have a lot asked of them in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's under-center, play-action, motion-heavy system."
The Eagles O-line was at least partially responsible for Saquon Barkley's record-setting 2,005-yard campaign in 2024.
But to Solak's point, its collective regression led to quarterback Jalen Hurts' regression too, since his running yards cratered (630 in 2024, 421 in 2025) and he was sacked 32 times. Compounding the concern is the fact Mannion's offense may not fit Hurts' game.
"This is the sort of modern offense that doesn't immediately and obviously jell with Hurts' strengths, as reporting has covered his commitment to more static offensive systems," Solak wrote. "Regardless of how highly Hurts ranks among league quarterbacks, there's no question that Brown and the O-line were massive factors to the Eagles' offensive success under Nick Sirianni."
The Eagles Are Saying All The Right Things About Chris Kuper's Hiring
Kuper is a former player who helped protect Peyton Manning with the Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos.
So even though Solak's reporting expresses valid concerns, Eagles players seem unfazed by the change at O-line coach.
Plus, Stoutland himself made a bigger deal about Patullo's departure than about his own.
"It's execution, it's calling the right play at the right time, and not running bad plays into bad defenses," Stoutland said on the "New Heights" podcast in February. "I mean, it ain't that hard. ... That's pretty much it."
So even though Mannion's offense may not fit Hurts' skill set like a glove, it can't be worse than the offense he operated last year.
