Will Nick Sirianni make any Eagles coaching changes? Only Jeffrey Lurie might know.

A few days after the 2016 season ended, then-Eagles coach Doug Pederson met with his assistants as a group and said there wouldn’t be any staff changes that offseason.

A day or so later, wide receivers coach Greg Lewis was fired.

What changed his mind? The only rational explanation, sources who were in that coaches-only gathering surmised, was that Pederson’s meeting with owner Jeffrey Lurie between the two events altered his thinking.

Lurie’s influence didn’t end there. He advised Pederson to block quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo from interviewing for the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator opening and he suggested that Frank Reich no longer be offensive coordinator, sources said.

While that offseason wouldn’t be the last time Lurie had influence in coaching personnel, or it may seem like water under a bridge no longer worth plunging into, it merits referencing with current Eagles coach Nick Sirianni just completing his first season.

“As of right now … I’m evaluating everything like I would at the end of the year,” Sirianni said Wednesday when asked if he planned on retaining his entire staff. “I’m evaluating every player. I’m meeting with every player. I’m evaluating every coach. I’m meeting with every coach.

“I’m really happy with the people that we have in this building. I’m really happy with the staff that we have.”

Sirianni added that he began meeting with his assistants individually that morning and that he had already completed five interviews as of his joint video news conference with general manager Howie Roseman held several hours later.

It came as little surprise that he wouldn’t endorse the entire staff with one wave of the hand. Sirianni noted that his 21 assistants made up for a “great group of guys who work well together,” but it would be more the exception than the rule if he brought everyone back.

And, of course, his season-end meeting with Lurie had yet to be held.

“Look forward to doing that, as well,” Sirianni said. “To be able to talk through all the things of this season, after a long season.”

Lurie, who hasn’t answered questions from reporters since he fired Pederson last January, is likely pleased with Sirianni’s first season. The Eagles went 9-8 in the regular season and clinched a wild-card playoff berth after a dismal 4-11-1 2020 season.

And while the 31-15 first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday displayed just how far the team is from being title contenders, Sirianni was the only NFL coach hired last year to reach the postseason.

But that does not mean, based on recent history, that Lurie won’t ask questions about Sirianni’s plans or, if he feels compelled, offer recommendations. In Pederson’s case, he felt obliged, and according to sources close to the former Eagles coach, the suggestions were more mandates.

Sirianni has said, when asked about his working relationship with Lurie, that the owner’s sole message so far has been to do what he believes is best in order to win games. They met regularly, but the Tuesday meetings the owner scheduled with Sirianni’s predecessor, and increasingly felt like Lurie’s means to second-guess decisions, according to sources close to Pederson, were scrapped.

As far as Lurie being less involved, sources who previously worked with the owner disputed the notion. He may not be pushing advice as he did with Pederson, but he is likely to make inquiries and extend counsel, they said.

There was, however, anecdotal evidence to support Sirianni’s description in his midseason switch to a run-heavy offense and his relatively conservative approach to fourth downs.

Lurie has long been a pass-first proponent and an advocate for aggressive, analytically based play-calling. But he likely saw the benefit of running early, considering the quarterback and personnel, although he knows the Eagles’ long-term odds for winning decrease with that system.

“I don’t think I’ve ever walked into the locker room unhappy with a win,” Roseman said when asked if wanted to return to being a pass-first offense.

Lurie had those moments, though, most notably following a run-heavy win over the Packers in 2019.

The Eagles didn’t have a mobile quarterback like Jalen Hurts then, however. As far as Hurts’ passing improvement, Sirianni crediting offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson would suggest both are safe.

He said that he was “very pleased” with the receiver group, but his comments in regard to the struggles of second-year receiver Jalen Reagor could be construed as also an assessment of assistant Aaron Moorehead.

“We want more production from Jalen Reagor,” Sirianni said. “He has all the talent to do so. … It’s our job as coaches to get that skill and that talent out of him.”

Roseman seemed to be placing more responsibility at the feet of the former first-rounder, and Sirianni added that his development was a “two-way street,” but Moorehead was one of the few leftovers from Pederson’s staff.

Defensively, the Eagles were schematically different than they were under previous coordinator Jim Schwartz. His successor, Jonathan Gannon, employed multiple fronts and frequent soft zone coverage often with two deep safeties.

That tactic was exploited by top quarterbacks, but it was effective against mid-to-low-tier quarterbacks in the second half of the season. On Sunday, however, Tom Brady became the seventh quarterback — he did it first in October — to complete more than 77% of his passes against Gannon’s defense.

“That doesn’t sit well with us,” Sirianni said after the game. “We played some good quarterbacks, too, but again it should never be that high.”

Lurie and Roseman were apparently all-in on the Gannon hire. While a Cover 2-based scheme is unlike any they’ve had before, it has had a bit of an analytically supported resurgence in the NFL because it increases the chances for mistakes and entices offenses to run.

As for how Lurie views Gannon’s performance, it could come down to how he views Roseman’s personnel. But rarely has a defensive coordinator been fired after one season, especially one like Gannon who is currently up for three head coach vacancies.

Eagles defensive line coaches have been like Spinal Tap drummers in recent years. Tracy Rocker is the team’s fourth in the last four years. Defensive end Brandon Graham’s injury affected the unit. But if the team was looking to move on from Rocker, they could point to a 31st ranking in sack percentage.

In terms of the scheme/instruction vs. personnel argument, it’s hard to see special teams coordinator Michael Clay being assigned culpability for Reagor’s returns or Arryn Siposs’ late-season punts.

If there are changes made, it doesn’t necessarily mean Lurie was involved. Aside from the hiring and firing of his first three head coaches, he had very little direct participation in the rest of the staff.

But he felt it necessary to step in with Pederson, especially after Reich and DeFilippo left following the 2017 Super Bowl and were replaced by the in-house promotions of Mike Groh and Press Taylor.

Lurie may have more trust in Sirianni, but even winning isn’t always the antidote to owner interference.