7 coaches Eagles could tap to replace the fired Doug Pederson

The Eagles are searching for their third head coach in nine seasons after team president and CEO Jeffrey Lurie fired Doug Pederson on Monday, apparently deciding that Pederson hasn't met his vision for fixing the Eagles' 4-11-1 mess of a season.

Here, then, are seven candidates who could replace Pederson. We listed offensive-minded coaches because Lurie has always wanted innovative, outside-the-box types of coaches.

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That could mean hiring someone based on resurrecting quarterback Carson Wentz, turning the page with Jalen Hurts, or possibly selecting a new quarterback in the draft.

The Eagles pick No. 6, but could trade up if necessary for one of the top QBs in either Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State's Justin Fields or BYU's Zach Wilson.

Here, then, are the candidates and which quarterback would best suit the coach's system:

Eric Bieniemy

Qualifications: Kansas City's offensive coordinator since 2018, and running backs coach from 2013-17. He helped turn quarterback Patrick Mahomes into a superstar. He also works for Andy Reid (like Pederson did before coming to the Eagles), who was the Eagles' head coach from 1999-2012, leading the team to five NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl. For the Eagles, it can never hurt pulling from Reid's coaching tree.

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His QB: Wentz, Hurts or draft. In a dynamic offense, it would seem that Bieniemy could work with any type of QB.

Brian Daboll

Qualifications: Daboll has served as the Bills offensive coordinator since 2018 and also has experience in the college game, serving as Alabama's offensive coordinator in 2017. Hurts was his quarterback. Daboll is credited with turning Josh Allen into an MVP candidate this season as the Bills were the highest-scoring team in the AFC.

His QB: Wentz and maybe Hurts. The Eagles could perceive Daboll's work with Allen as akin to resurrecting Wentz. Daboll might have to explain why, as OC at Alabama, Hurts was replaced in the championship game that season by Tua Tagovailoa.

Lincoln Riley

Qualifications: It would be a Chip Kelly-type leap to hire a college coach, but Riley's quarterbacks from 2017-19 were Baker Mayfield (2017), Kyler Murray (2018) and Hurts. Mayfield and Murray were both Heisman Trophy winners and the No. 1 overall picks in the 2018 and 2019 drafts, respectively. Hurts was Heisman runner-up, while running for 1,298 yards and passing for 3,851.

His QB: Hurts. There's no doubt that Riley, 37, would be seen in the Sean McVay mold who would change pretty much everything, much like Kelly did.

Duce Staley

Qualifications: He's the longest tenured coach on staff, being an assistant with the Eagles since 2011. He's currently the running backs coach. Staley has twice been passed up for offensive coordinator jobs with the team. But Staley knows the personnel, and the players respect him.

His QB: Wentz or Hurts. Staley would seem to thrive more with Hurts because both have backgrounds as a runner. But Staley has also been with Wentz through his entire career.

Joe Brady

Qualifications: Brady, in his first season as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator, helped make Teddy Bridgewater into a decent quarterback while developing the wide receivers. He was also successful as LSU's passing game coordinator in 2019 with Joe Burrow as the QB. At 31, he's considered a Sean McVay type as well.

His QB: Hurts or a draftee. It's likely that if the Eagles go with Brady, it would be to grow with his quarterback, whether he believes that's Hurts or a drafted QB.

Jim Caldwell

Qualifications: Caldwell was the Colts' quarterbacks coach and then head coach for most of Peyton Manning's career in Indianapolis. He then served as QB coach and offensive coordinator in Baltimore during Joe Flacco's heyday. He was also the Lions' head coach from 2014-17. He currently is not working in the NFL.

His QB: Wentz. At 65, Caldwell likely isn't interested in a rebuild, which means his job would be to resurrect and win with Wentz. His past with Manning and Flacco would indicate that's possible.

Jason Garrett

Qualifications: This might seem like a long shot, but no one knows the NFC East better than Garrett, who spent this season as the Giants offensive coordinator after nine seasons as the Cowboys head coach. Like Pederson, Garrett was a backup NFL quarterback, and he developed Tony Romo and Dak Prescott during his time as Cowboys coach. 

His QB: Wentz. Garrett most likely would be tasked with resurrecting Wentz, and a fresh offensive staff might benefit Wentz, too.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.