Report: Eagles Hire Pat Shurmur as Offensive Coordinator

Chip Kelly has found the man to run his offense. The Eagles are expected to hire former Cleveland Browns head coach Pat Shurmur as Kelly’s offensive coordinator. Shurmur was fired by the Browns after two seasons of work, and was with the St. Louis Rams prior to that as their offensive coordinator.

Shurmur was able to get some sort of offense going in Cleveland, thanks in large part to rookie running back Trent Richardson. However, despite flirting with playoff contention in 2012,  Shurmur’s Browns lost their last three games and finished 5-11 and in last place in the AFC North. It was this mini-meltdown and Shurmur’s combined record of 9-23, as well as new ownership, that ultimately cost Shumur his job.

While he didn’t have a great record in Cleveland, many felt Shurmur was one of the only coaches fired because of a technicality rather than because of his performance. Things appeared to potentially be swinging upward with the Browns, but new owner Jimmy Haslam wanted to bring in his own, brand new staff, and Shurmur wasn’t a part of it.

In Philly, Shurmur will be tasked with running one of the most high profile offenses of 2013. All the talk around Chip Kelly during his courtship revolved around how he would revolutionize NFL offenses. Shurmur will be calling those plays at the behest of Kelly, and will therefore be largely responsible (or possibly scapegoated) if it fails.