Robert Saleh exposes the Eagles offensive scheme over the last few years in press conference

Oh, man. If kicking a person, or fanbase while they were down was in the dictionary, it would be exactly what 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh did today.

Saleh openly admitted that San Francisco leaned on film from the 2023 Eagles–49ers matchup to stop Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense on a season-defining fourth down in Sunday’s Wild Card loss at the Linc.

Robert Saleh on the Eagles offense

"They are who they were, in that moment"

– 49ers DC Robert Saleh says he used their Eagles – 49ers game film from 2023 to stop Jalen Hurts & the #Eagles offense on the 4th down stop to win Sunday's Wild Card in Philly pic.twitter.com/QU00y1GIUb

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) January 14, 2026

Let me set the scene, because this is the last time I will do it. I’ve already turned the page on the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles. But, for this blog’s sake, I will do what I must.

A playoff game. At home. With the season on the line. And Robert Saleh basically said: “we know exactly what they are going to do.” It’s almost like they had cameras taping our practice, except they realized we were just running the exact same stuff we’ve been running over the last few years.

So, the 49ers flew their drones back to their headquarters after about 5 minutes of filming one of our practice sessions. Unbelievable.

The Eagles’ Offense Has Been Solved for Years

This wasn’t some genius adjustment by San Francisco in real time. This wasn’t a chess match. This was plug-and-play defense against an offense that refused to evolve.

Being the competitor that I am, I have the 49ers circled on my calendar for next season. I want to kill those mother fuckers. But, with that said, the most damning part of all of this is that Saleh didn’t say this with disrespect. He said it like it was obvious. Like it was common knowledge around the league.

Yes, we are all celebrating the departure of Kevin Patullo, but…

Here’s the uncomfortable truth no one wants to fully say out loud: This offense has always been Nick Sirianni’s. And whoever the Eagles hire next cannot be another Sirianni-approved yes-man. The good news? It won’t be.

The Eagles next offensive coordinator needs full autonomy. Because if Sirianni keeps one hand on the wheel, we’ll end up right back here; watching defensive coordinators quote old film like it’s a scouting report from yesterday.

Read More: Report: Eagles have begun their OC search, with two prominent names at the top of the list >>

“So What Does Sirianni Do Then?”

This is where the conversation gets twisted.

People will inevitably ask: “If Nick Sirianni isn’t running the offense, what exactly is his role?” My answer is simple.

Be the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

That means:

• Commanding the locker room
• Managing personalities and egos
• Holding players accountable
• Coaching fundamentals
• Setting culture
• Handling the chaos — professionally and personally

You know… head coach stuff.

Luckily, neither Jeffrey Lurie or Howie Roseman are idiots. They are forward thinkers, and the exact reason why the Philadelphia Eagles are one of the best ran organizations in the NFL. I trust them with this huge offensive coordinator hiring process. And I trust our head coach Nick Sirianni to adapt and adjust to what is asked of him.

It’s what he’s done ever since the Birds hired him.

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