PHILADELPHIA - Ten practices into camp, the Eagles’ new offense already looks less like a straight Shanahan or McVay copy and more like something Sean Mannion brought with him from Green Bay.
That’s the clearest early read on Philadelphia’s first-year offensive coordinator, whose previous two seasons on Matt LaFleur’s staff - including 2025 as quarterbacks coach - seem to be shaping the way this group is being built in South Philly. The familiar family tree is still there, but the branch Mannion is leaning on most right now feels distinctly Packers-flavored.
Jalen Hurts is lining up under center much more often than he has in recent seasons. Motion before the snap is showing up constantly.
Play-action is baked in. And the run game is tilting toward wide-zone and stretch ideas instead of the more vertical, inside-zone-heavy approach tied to Jeff Stoutland.
That doesn’t mean the Eagles are breaking from the broader Shanahan line entirely. These systems are all related, after all, and each one comes with its own twist. But LaFleur’s version has long leaned more heavily on mixed personnel groupings than the classic McVay model, which spent years living mostly in 11 personnel before moving toward heavier 13 personnel last season.
The Packers offense Mannion was around also featured more two-tight-end sets and the occasional two-back look, bringing it closer to Shanahan’s varied style than to McVay’s more rigid tendencies. Just as important, Green Bay has given its quarterbacks more freedom - something that made sense with Aaron Rodgers and has continued with Jordan Love. That same formula is now showing up in Philadelphia: a strong run game paired with aggressive play-action.
Tuesday’s practice may have been the final install session, and it leaned hard into the run game. There were plenty of pistol looks, another detail that would feel familiar to anyone who has watched Love operate.
The under-center work stands out because it’s still more frequent than what Hurts has been used to, even if it doesn’t quite reach the levels typically seen in pure Shanahan or McVay offenses. The point, though, isn’t just formation for formation’s sake. The bigger idea is to make run and pass look as similar as possible before the snap.
That same approach has been adapted in Green Bay over time to fit the personnel and the quarterbacks there. Now it’s being adjusted again for the Eagles.
Philadelphia isn’t abandoning its own identity either. Mannion has already said the Tush Push is staying. And in the red zone, he’s leaned into zone-read concepts and quarterback draws to put Hurts’ dual-threat ability to work, with early results that have been notable.
The practice work and the comments coming out of camp point to an offense built to create easier throws, cleaner spacing, and more defined reads. Mannion has called his approach “blended,” and Nick Sirianni has said he wants to keep what has worked.
What it all looks like once the games start - and how much more Mannion tweaks things for Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and the rest of the roster - is the next step.
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