Despite losing their play-caller from last year’s Super Bowl team, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to have a top-10 offense during the regular season in 2023.

That comes with offensive coordinator Brian Johnson learning how to call plays for the first time in his NFL coaching career.

Despite the success the Eagles have had this year on offense, Johnson, along with head coach Nick Sirianni have taken heat for the team’s recent collapse late in the season, and the lack of efficiency the offense plays with. Philadelphia’s first and second down percentage plays are among the worst in football – sandwiched in between being the best on third and fourth down.

Watching franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts finish second in turnovers allowed this season, with the entire offense in the top 10 as well, certainly doesn’t help matters.

That’s why, when NFL Network reported that Johnson was receiving head coaching interviews for jobs in Tennessee and Carolina, many Eagle fans were clamoring for the first-year OC to leave Philly.

Those fans (and some analysts) who believe the Eagles would be better off without Johnson are missing some very important pieces to the argument.

First, should Johnson leave for greener pastures, that would mean Philadelphia is hiring the third different offensive coordinator in three seasons. That lack of continuity can be detrimental to any quarterback, let alone a top one like Hurts.

Second, there’s no guarantee that the Eagles would be even able to upgrade at play-caller as so many people may think. While roughly 1/3rd of the league’s head coaches change every year, the need for new offensive ideas becomes paramount. If Philadelphia succeeds in 2024 with a new play-caller, who is to say that the new coordinator won’t get a new head job quickly? The endless cycle becomes difficult to manage once people realize that.

Finally, Johnson is only in his first year on the job. It’s natural for young players to struggle a bit in their first year, learn from their mistakes, and then come back the following year with a better, more efficient plan.

To get rid of a coach after just one season would be foolish. To think Johnson can’t improve with further study and understanding of an offense is more so.

Philadelphia losing two of their play-calling coordinators last season meant that 2023 was going to be a challenge.

It’s been that way all year.

Eagles fans should hope Johnson doesn’t get a head coaching job, or they could be in an even harder situation next year.