Should Eagles hire Duce Staley to be their offensive coordinator?

The mass exodus that always seems to take place on Super Bowl winning coaching staffs has begun, with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo heading to Minnesota and it looks like offensive coordinator Frank Reich could be heading to Indianapolis to become the head coach of the Colts.

The losses are big ones for the Super Bowl champions, as both Reich and DeFilippo played a big role in helping to turn the team's offensive into one of the best in the NFL.

Now, it will be up to head coach Doug Pederson to replace both -- and one name that will likely come up is running back coach Duce Staley.

Staley, who played with Pederson during the 1999 season, has been on the Eagles' coaching staff since 2011. First hired as a special teams quality control coach, Staley worked his way up to control the running back group prior to the 2013 season.

Staley is one of only a handful of coaches that Pederson kept on after he was hired to replace former head coach Chip Kelly. The Eagles seemingly think very highly of Staley, as they interviewed him for the head coaching vacancy in 2016, and suggested Pederson retain him on his staff.

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Whether Staley would make a good offensive coordinator is unclear.

There would be benefits of promoting Staley as opposed to hiring from outside the organization. Staley knows the offense and is very familiar with the players. He is also extremely respected in the locker room and would have the ears of each player on the offense. Plus, it is always good for company moral when you promote from within.

Staley might also be a nice compliment to Pederson, who as a quarterback is better suited to coach the passing game, and as a former running back, Staley's expertise is in the running game.

The running backs' record under Staley, however, is mixed. He did an excellent job getting the room to work together this season, and played a big role in integrating Jay Ajayi into the mix after his messy divorce from the Miami Dolphins.

On the other hand, Staley does not have a good resume in terms of developing young running backs.

Although undrafted running back Corey Clement was a nice role player this season, and improved as the season went on, Staley wasn't able to get much out of Wendell Smallwood or Donnell Pumphrey. There simply isn't a track record of young running backs developing under Staley in his five seasons as running back coach. Player development is normally a sign that a position coach is normally ready to take on a larger role.

The promotion would also be a big one for Staley, who has never been an offensive coordinator and has never called plays. Although Reich didn't call plays, his experience as a quarterback and as an offensive coordinator seemed to be huge for Pederson, as the two met the night before each game to game plan for the following day. Although he is now a Super Bowl champion, Pederson is still fairly young in terms of coaching experience, and seemed to benefit from having the more experienced Reich on his staff.

With his lack of experience, it isn't clear if Staley -- as opposed to a coach with more experience -- would be as valuable in those meetings as Reich was.

There is also something to be said for bringing in a fresh set of eyes to the offensive meeting room.

Although the Eagles' offense was stellar last season, every offense must evolve each offseason, and as Super Bowl champions, the pressure will be on the Eagles to not get complacent next season. A fresh set of eyes and new ideas for the offense would preusmably help to prevent that.

If the Eagles don't hire Staley, there is a chance the Giants try to hire him away as their offensive coordinator -- a move the Eagles could block.

It is certainly possible the Eagles promote Staley, but if they do, it will be a risky move, and although the hire would come with plenty of upside, it isn't the slamdunk hire that many fans seem to view it as.

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.

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