Former Minnesota Vikings assistant finds a new home in an unexpected place

The Philadelphia Eagles are bringing in former Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper against the Los Angeles Rams during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach Chris Kuper has found himself a new home, as the Philadelphia Eagles have hired him to be their offensive line coach.

Kuper is in a tough position heading to an Eagles team that is going through major offensive changes. He replaces longtime legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who is widely viewed as one of the best offensive line coaches ever. So, why did the Eagles move on? Simple: they want to implement the Sean McVay West Coast Offense.

Philadelphia Eagles hire Chris Kuper as offensive line coach

Kuper left the Vikings after they chose not to renew his expiring contract. At the time, it felt like both a surprise and a relief due to the inconsistent play of the offensive line. Some of that is obviously on the coaching they receive, but the massive amount of injuries the team suffered this season were the biggest issue. Backup offensive linemen played 1,658 snaps this season (33%), and it had a severe impact on the performance, not to mention the poor quarterback play.

The good that Kuper brought to the team was two fold: he did a good job of developing the likes of Christian Darrisaw, and made Blake Brandel a capable center after having never played on the interior during his career before Kuper got to Minnesota. Now, Kuper g0es t0 the Eagles who have a lot of talent on the offensive line, but are converting to a new scheme. That will make things interesting for them moving forward, as it’s a massive shift in philosophy.

Kuper has done a really good job of maximizing the run game, where the Vikings ranked 15th in EPA/rush and eighth in success rate last season. Can he do enough to keep Jalen Hurts upright? Only time will tell there, but it will be interesting to watch play out.

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