Report: Colts' Jim Bob Cooter 'Could Be in Play' For Eagles' OC Job

The Indianapolis Colts could be losing a key offensive coach this offseason, but luckily they have some good replacement options.

The Indianapolis Colts could be in jeopardy of losing a key offensive staff member this offseason, as Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that Colts' OC Jim Bob Cooter could be a candidate for the Philadelphia Eagles' potential play-caller vacancy in the coming days (or weeks).

Cooter, 39, served as an Eagles' consultant back in 2021, where he overlapped with both Colts' Head Coach Shane Steichen and Eagles' Head Coach Nick Sirianni.

Jim Bob Cooter could be in play for the Eagles’ OC job if Brian Johnson isn’t back (and Nick Sirianni is), per @MikeGarafolo.

JBC was a consultant for the Eagles in 2021 and is currently Shane Steichen’s OC.

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) January 20, 2024

While this is purely in the speculation phase and it is unclear if Cooter would leave the Colts for the same position (with just play-calling duties added on top), the Colts do have to be prepared for the potential vacancy created if the Eagles reach out.

With that in mind, here are a few potential candidates that could replace Cooter if he were to take the Eagles' job.

Tom Manning, Colts' TE Coach (In-House)

One of the clear in-house candidates for the Colts is TE coach Tom Manning. Manning, 40, does have offensive coordinator experience in his career, as he served as the OC and play-caller at Iowa State from 2016 to 2017 and from 2019 to 2022. Manning coached an abundance of NFL talent at Iowa State, with the two most notable players being quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall.

Manning's impact on the Colts' offense cannot be understated. His influence can be seen on plenty of the Colts' RPO concepts and he helped install some of the pistol looks that we saw utilized this past season. His coaching also led to a career-best season for Kylen Granson and a return to form for veteran Mo Alie-Cox in 2023. If the Colts' offensive coordinator job does open up this offseason, my money would be on Manning getting the first look in-house.

I spent way too many hours this past week diving into Indy's coaching staff backgrounds to find the origins of their QB Counter RPO goal line play

I'd guess that TE Coach Tom Manning had a huge hand in crafting it. Here are some similar Q Counter RPOs from his time at Iowa State pic.twitter.com/csDoTksEoo

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) January 20, 2024

Cam Turner, Colts' QB Coach (In-House)

Another viable in-house candidate for the Colts is QB Coach Cam Turner. Turner is a fairly young coach at just 36 years old, but he has been around the NFL for well over a decade at this point in his career. He spent time in Arizona prior to coming to Indy, where he helped develop Kyler Murray into a solid starting quarterback. Turner is also the nephew of Steichen's biggest NFL influence Norv Turner.

Turner had a hand in keeping the Colts' offense viable despite the early season injury to starting quarterback Anthony Richardson. Under Turner's tutelage, veteran backup Gardner Minshew was able to hit league-average marks in both EPA per play and QBR metrics. If the Colts want to lean more into the Norv Turner tree next season, Cam could be a solid option at offensive coordinator. 

Tee Martin, Baltimore Ravens' QB Coach

One of the more intriguing outside candidates (should the Colts' OC job open up) would be Ravens' QB Coach Tee Martin. Martin, 45, actually interviewed with the Colts last offseason before the team ultimately decided to go with Cooter for the job. Martin transitioned to QB Coach from WR Coach in 2023 for the Ravens, and his impact was felt on that entire offense.

Soon to be two-time MVP Lamar Jackson hit career highs in passing yards, completion percentage, and pass attempts in 2023. The Ravens were able to utilize Jackson more as a passer this season while still using the threat of his legs to create space in the run game. With Martin, the Colts could continue to lean on pistol formations and other run-first looks with Richardson while continuing to develop him as a passer in 2024.

Dan Pitcher, Cincinnati Bengals' QB Coach

One more outside candidate the Colts could consider is Bengals' QB Coach Dan Pitcher. Pitcher, 37, has been with the Bengals' organization for the past eight seasons in a variety of roles for the team. Prior to coaching for the Bengals, Pitcher actually spent some time with the Colts. He was a scouting assistant with the team from 2012-2013 and a pro scout from 2014-2015 before heading into coaching.

From a personnel standpoint, the Bengals' offense had a lot of overlap with the Colts in 2023. Both teams utilized 11 personnel at a high rate (Bengals at a 70% clip and the Colts at a 61% rate) and both teams predominantly lived in the gun. If the Colts wanted to bring in an outside mind to expand upon the shotgun passing game, Pitcher could be an interesting option with ties to the organization.

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