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The Philadelphia Eagles are becoming comfortable with the team’s new offense.
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday Sun
After last year’s madness, which included the firing of the team’s offensive coordinator and the distraction of an unhappy wide receiver, the Philadelphia Eagles offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, is once again working on mastering another new offense.
As someone who has worked with 10 offensive coordinators — the Eagles’ new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion is number 11 — going back to his time at the University of Alabama it’s just another day at the office.
“A challenge is a challenge; you look at them all the same, and it may come with different things,” Hurts said. “I think my approach has not changed with that. My goal, as always, is to get hip-to-hip with the coach, build with the guys around me, and make the most of what we have. Competitively, just go out there and get ready to win.”
QB Jalen Hurts at practice.
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Mannion, who was brought here from the Green Bay Packers where he worked with Jordan Love and Malik Willis as the quarterbacks coach, is preparing an offense that will feature a lot of pre-snap motion and features the quarterback under center. It will enable Hurts to do more play-action fakes (faking a handoff to running back and passing the ball downfield).
“When we’re under center, it’s so hard for the defense to tell if it’s a run or a play-action,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson said. “Instead of getting off the ball, it’s a lot more hesitation for the (defense). I believe this offense does a good job of setting us up for success.”
Eagles’ 20th overall draft pick, Makai Lemon meets with fans.
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It will enable Hurts to keep opposing defenses off balance with receivers going in motion while opening the middle of the field in the passing game. Last year, the Eagles ranked 24th in third-down conversions.
During the Eagles’ first couple of days of practice, Hurts ran a little more than half of the team’s plays under center during seven-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills. It looked like he had been doing it for years.
“It’s an extension of what I’ve already done in that department,” Hurts said. “That’s been an area of my game that I’ve always had, and we just hadn’t done it a lot, so we’ll just be putting it on tape more.”
Fans witness Eagles’ practice.
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Since joining the team as the offensive coordinator, Mannion says he’s been getting more of a feel for Hurts’ comfort zone within his system and finding plays to match it.
“It’s been a constant back and forth,” Mannion said. “Jalen has had a ton of success in this league and has played in a lot of games. I always want to know the things that he feels comfortable with, if there’s something we need to detail up for him. You love to dive into the nitty gritty of a play and help him with total mastery. … For me as a play caller it’s about finding out what his comfort calls are.”
After the first two days of last week’s practice, Mannion said he liked the way his team has retained what they’ve learned from mandatory minicamp and organized team activities.
“On day 1 and 2, we had some pre-snap stuff to fix but their retention from the spring was outstanding and allows for us to pick up where we left off and keep building from there,” he said.
Hurts had a good practice while he was under center, completing several passes, including a tough pass across the middle to wide receiver Dontayvian Wicks, a diving pass and a pass to Devonta Smith, who beat All-Pro cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith speaks to press.
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Most of the Birds’ offensive players like what they’ve seen so far.
“[We’re] stretching the defense a lot more than we did in the past,” said Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata. “We get to stretch the defense out and kind of stress them out a little bit more because they don’t if it’s a run or a pass. The play-action game being married to it is key to the scheme. But it’s still early days. … it’s a day install, but it’s promising to say the least.”
It also helps running back Saquon Barkley find more open space in the running game. After rushing for 2,005 yards rushing (5.8 yards per carry) in 2024, Barkley’s numbers dropped to 1,140 yards (4.1 yards per carry) on the ground in 2025.
Saquon Barkley gives an interview.
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In Mannion’s outside zone rushing attack, offensive would flow one way against the defense that would enable Barkley to find open space in the middle. That’s something that Barkley is looking forward to experiencing for the upcoming season.
“I’ve always been intrigued with this kind of system and watching from afar and seeing a lot of guys have success in it,” Barkley said. “For me, the reads are pretty much the same but just trying to get more of a one-cut mindset. … It definitely gives you a lot of advantages. For me, I feel like I have a chance to be really good in this system.”
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