Eagles have bought in to new offensive system

PHILADELPHIA -- The offensive overhaul is well underway for the Eagles. It only takes a few moments of observing training camp practice to notice the stark contrast between how things look under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion versus what we've seen from Nick Sirianni and his host of playcallers over the previous five seasons. Jalen Hurts is under center way more. There is motion on almost every play. They are leaning heavily into play-action. And they've implemented a wide-zone blocking scheme, departing from the more vertical attack orchestrated by former offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. All of this construction is being overseen by an architect in 34-year-old Mannion who was playing in the league as recently as 2023 and has all of two seasons of coaching experience under his belt. In some ways, the perennial title contenders are starting from scratch on one side of the ball. That has been apparent at times, with pre-snap penalties and a lack of synchronicity leading to some tough sledding against Vic Fangio's dominant defense. But there have also been enough flashes in which the play design is well-executed and giant patches of daylight open up for the skill players to stir the imagination about what's possible if/when this system clicks in for one of the NFL's most talent-rich offenses. "Right now, it's like a Day 1 install almost, a Phase 1 install," offensive tackle Jordan Mailata said during the first week of camp. "But it's been promising to say the least." One thing that stands out is the resounding buy-in voiced by the players, which has risen above the level of lip service. Count Hurts among those who have struck a positive tone about the direction of the offense. No one is being asked to tweak their approach more than QB1. Consider these stats from 2025: The Eagles were 27th in under center snaps (23.7%) Hurts' under-center dropback rate of 8.2% ranked 32nd among qualified QBs (minimum 250 dropbacks), per NFL Next Gen Stats Philadelphia ranked 29th in motion rate (48.6%) Hurts is accustomed to operating out of the shotgun and having a static picture pre-snap as he analyzes the defense. He will be working out of that comfort zone to a large degree. Mannion coached for the Green Bay Packers the past two years and is installing a system influenced by Sean McVay (Rams) and Kyle Shanahan (49ers). A quick look at their tendencies from a year ago helps forecast what's to come this season for Philly. Under center snaps: Rams 1st (60.1%), 49ers 6th (47%), Packers 12th (38.1%) Motion: Packers 18th (59.3%). Rams 6th (67.9%) 49ers 3rd (69.9%) Our reporting suggests Hurts has shown some reluctance to these elements in the past but he has embraced the new scheme by all accounts early on. "I like to think of the term calibrating. This is the time where we're kind of putting it together and finding out who we are," Hurts said. "I think it's been very good to be able to compete against the defense who has a built-and-set identity for who they are, and then obviously us on this end we've got a lot of new pieces, an entirely new approach and MO, philosophy to our offense. Being able to put that together and make it our own, I'm excited about where we are." A primary focus has been on Hurts' footwork. Mannion has spoken of installing a scheme based on rhythm in which the timing of one route is married to another and all the different elements of a concept work together. The process then begins of teaching a quarterback to "really understand that and listen to his feet." "That's something that we talk about. If your footwork is sound and your rhythm's good, it's just going to feel like the ball wants to come out, right? Then if it's not, then you move on," Mannion said. We have seen plenty of Hurts ripping it in rhythm this summer -- often to the middle of the field, which goes against another tendency of his throughout his career. "I love everything about [Hurts] right now," Mailata said. "He's all-in on this system, the way he's commanding the huddle, the way he's getting that ball out, the way he's throwing it, the way he's just embraced it, man. He's all-in and it's refreshing to see -- refreshing to come back in and we're all into this. We have to because it's all new to us, it's not just J, it's all new to us. We always say it starts with the QB and he's taken that off and leading by example and we're all following. It's fun." Mannion has also dialed up a healthy number of designed runs for Hurts, often to good results. Hurts said it's too early to know how such plays will mesh with the new offense, but given how effective those plays have been and how spry Hurts looks this summer, it would be no surprise if there is an uptick in carries compared to last season, when he rushed the fewest times in his career (105) since becoming a full-time starter. The offensive linemen have been perhaps the biggest advocates of the scheme change, which is a little surprising at first glance because of the success they had under the old system led by Stoutland, arguably the best offensive line coach of his era. If there's a sense of relief, it comes largely from having less on their plate. As standout right tackle Lane Johnson noted, he and Mailata have been asked to play on an island for most of their careers. But in the new offense, they'll receive more guard help on the inside in pass protection. Left guard Landon Dickerson was one of multiple linemen to note that there's less diagnostic work being done at the line of scrimmage. Previously, their assignments were in part dictated by the defense's alignment and post-snap actions, whereas now they're able to "to make a call, stick with it, and run the play." "I think from the standpoint of not going up there and playing chess," center Cam Jurgens said of the system's benefits. "We can kind of play a little faster. This scheme kind of presses the defense. You're able to play fast and not overthink things." In the wide-zone design, the linemen are moving more horizontally to stretch the defense and are meeting the defensive front "across the line instead of at the line," as Mailata put it. The offensive linemen mirror their run-blocking looks on play-action passes. Couple that with the pre-snap motion and some misdirection post-snap, and it complicates things for their opponent -- a welcome departure for some after things got a bit too stagnant on offense last season in particular. "What I like about this is that everything looks very complex to the defense," Johnson said. "To the offense, it's pretty simplified." Saquon Barkley acknowledged this will probably be the most under center and outside zone he has done in his career. But he has been doing his due diligence to get ready, including consulting with former Ram great Todd Gurley, who thrived in a similar system. Barkley said the benefits of under center is that backs can see more clearly and can get downhill faster. "I feel like I have a chance to be really good in this system too," he said. "I've seen it from afar but now that I'm actually studying it and working it and trying to put myself in the system, I feel like it's going to open up some things that I may not have been able to show in my career so I'm excited for that part of it." The running game in camp (a tough thing to judge to begin with, given the lack of tackling) has been hit or miss this summer. We've seen times when linebackers and defensive linemen have quickly dissected a toss and shot into the backfield to stop a play. And we've also seen huge holes open up, which Barkley and Tank Bigsby have exploited for monster gains. The same can be said for the passing game. The offense has been repping some plays for the first time and it shows, leading to a penalty or a wrong route run or a misfire. The absence of Johnson (personal) and DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon (hamstring injuries) hasn't helped matters. Then there are days like Monday -- a review day for the offense of plays that have already been installed -- when Hurts is carving it up and the offense looks downright dangerous. One of the most important sequences of the summer came on that day. Hurts targeted Elijah Moore on a short pass to the outside, but Moore ran the wrong route, leading to a pick-six by cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. Moments later, Hurts saw Moore flash deep down the right seam and fired a dart that Moore hauled in for a long touchdown. Hurts was noticeably fired up following the play, perhaps sensing a key moment in their battle against the learning curve. "I just think that was an example of responding. That's what I was so proud of and happy about, not the throw but that he was able to play the next play, show up in the right window at the right time and rip it in there for a touchdown down the middle of the field," Hurts said. "I think that's the MO of being a resilient team, being a group of guys that, we understand the importance of doing our job and how that affects the next person, but we take pride in the small things."