Why firing coaches, trading players won't save Eagles' putrid offense

PHILADELPHIA − It was only fitting that Joe Milton committed a false start penalty on his very first snap as an Eagles' quarterback.The false start is a microcosm for the Eagles' season. So was this: The Eagles had one last chance to tie the game, with 6 seconds left, the ball at their 44 yard line. Milton's arm, described as a "cannon" by several teammates, could have easily thrown a Hail Mary.Instead, he was sacked. And so were the Eagles as they lost their seventh straight game, 19-11 to the Giants on Nov. 8, in an offensively bad display of offense. It was much like the six losses before. Buy Philadelphia Eagles ticketsInstead of going into their bye, which coincides with the Nov. 10 trade deadline, with the promise of a trade giving the Eagles a much-needed boost heading into the second half of the season, the Eagles are left to what, exactly?Soul-searching, for one, starting with Eagles coach Nick Sirianni."Obviously, I haven't done a good enough job," he said. "We all have things that we've got to get better at, and we've got to figure out an offense."One might surmise that the Eagles have played nine games, just past the halfway point of the season, so why haven't they figured out an offense yet? After all, as overwhelmed as first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion appears to be, something has to work by now, right?Nope.The Eagles had zero points, zero first downs and zero yards in the third quarter. That's as embarrassing a trifecta as you'll ever see. Except that it also happened the week before against Washington, when the Eagles went scoreless over the final three quarters.The Eagles would have done it again if not for a field goal with 1:56 remaining.So here they are, at 2-7, and Sirianni is asked if he's considering coaching changes during the bye, whether it's demoting or firing Mannion, offensive line coach Chris Kuper, or someone else.For the record, while Sirianni reiterated that "everything is on the table," as he has for the past few weeks, he also said that, "You just don't change just to change."That's perhaps the saddest part for the Eagles. As left tackle Jordan Mailata has also said several times over the past few weeks, and again on Nov. 8: "No one's coming to save us."It's too late for that.ANGRY BIRDS FANS: Eagles fans react on social media after seventh straight lossWHAT'S NEXT FOR EAGLES? 5 things we learned about Eagles bad offense. Are coaching changes next?Eagles' agendas for trade deadline, coachesInstead, the Eagles have a different agenda for the trade deadline. That is, unloading any veteran or pending free agent who can bring back a future draft pick. Perhaps tight end Dallas Goedert, cornerback Riq Woolen, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo and edge rusher Nolan Smith, to name a few.And the Eagles have a different agenda for coaching changes during the bye. As in, why bother?There's no point firing Sirianni now. Not when the Eagles are currently in line for the No. 5 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon.com. They might as well keep flailing away. Their draft position can only improve.Sure, Mannion, who's 34 years old and installing a new offense, might be in over his head. But the Eagles hired him because they believed he brings a cutting-edge scheme developed by the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Even though it hasn't worked, there are eight more games to see if it can.The Eagles are on their fourth quarterback in Milton, who was signed off the Cowboys' practice squad on Oct. 16. He made his first career start, and it was pretty much as one might expect for a maddeningly inconsistent QB on his third team in three seasons.Milton flashed that potential on the Eagles' lone touchdown drive in the first quarter. He hit Dallas Goedert for 12 yards, then ran for 19 yards and a first down at the Giants' 35. Then he showed his arm strength by throwing deep for Darius Cooper, who drew a defensive pass interference call, setting the Eagles up at the Giants' 3.In all, Milton threw for 169 yards and ran for 64. "If it's there, I'm trying to get it," Milton said about running for the first down. "If not, I'm trying to throw the ball. Whatever the team needs at that moment, that's what I'm trying to do. We’ve just got to clean up a lot of stuff and just move on, keep going. With my three weeks being here, it's been amazing seeing these guys never give up."Offensive line can't protect QBThe offensive line, again a sieve, couldn't protect Milton, who was sacked seven times, much like they couldn't protect Tanner McKee, and much like they couldn't protect Jalen Hurts. The running game was non-existent. Saquon Barkley had 22 yards on 13 carries and has 52 yards on 26 carries in the last two games.And sure, throw in the injuries to DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, the retirement of Lane Johnson, the trade of Cam Jurgens and the blood clots of Hurts, and you're left with an unmitigated disaster of an offense.Arvell Reese strip sack and the Giants get the ball back!NYGvsPHI on FOX/FOX OneStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/BPuNJ6LR5J— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026On one play, Milton was hit so hard on an Arvell Reese sack (the rookie had three) that he fumbled the ball away. And the offense couldn't get a first down in the second half until Milton hit Dallas Goedert for 19 yards with a little over 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.In other words, meet the new quarterback, same as the old quarterback."I do believe that when everything seems like it's going wrong, and the sky is falling, how you operate in those moments is going to be the reason why, when it does turn around, it's going to be they key to your success," Barkley said. "I'm a true believer in that. I know it's hard to see that."That seems so far into the distance. For now, Eagles GM Howie Roseman will try to sell by the deadline, and Sirianni and his staff will spend this week trying to figure out the offense, and the Eagles will lick their wounds and get ready for eight more games in a lost season."It's a little bit of everything, and it starts with me," Sirianni said. "I have to do my best and get everybody playing with the level of detail and coaching with the level of detail that has become our standard here for the Philadelphia Eagles."I'll fight like hell to that."The Eagles have nothing else to lose − other than games.Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.comThis article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why firing coaches, trading players won't save Eagles' putrid offenseOur editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. 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