Jordan Mailata doesn’t hand out compliments lightly. At 6-foot-8 and 365 pounds, the Eagles’ left tackle has become one of the team’s loudest voices, and when he likes something, he tends to say it with conviction.
That’s exactly what happened again after Thursday’s practice, when Mailata doubled down on his admiration for new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. He had already backed Mannion in the spring, despite Mannion having just two years of coaching experience and topping out last season as Green Bay’s quarterbacks coach. After another training-camp look, Mailata only sounded more convinced.
"I think when we're being taught the scheme, just the explanation of how the defense is going to see it and what the plan is,” Mailata said when asked about the framing of Mannion. “In those meetings, you just see like, ‘Oh, wow, that's actually pretty smart. What didn't I think about that?’”
“You don't think about it because you're an offensive lineman,” Mailata smiled. “So, it’s when you get to come out here, you run the plays and you may not understand it at the time.
“And then when you go through the meetings and he breaks down everything like there's a purpose to everything in the play and then you see it unfold and you see the the defense like kind of confused -- like okay who's covering who now in this motion? How does that affect the D-Line and the O-Line?”
For Mailata, the appeal is in how Mannion presents the offense. The coordinator’s approach, shaped by the Shanahan/McVay coaching line, is built on making the run and pass game look the same: motion, under-center looks, play-action and zone-blocking ideas all working together to force hesitation and create problems for defenses both sideways and down the field.
The idea is simple enough for the players to execute, but messy enough for the defense to sort out.
Mailata’s praise could be read as a swipe at recently deposed OC Kevin Patullo, but that isn’t really how he operates. He’s been around Philadelphia since 2018 and has worked with Super Bowl coordinators like Shane Steichen, now the head coach in Indianapolis and recently ranked as the seventh-best current play-caller in The Athletic’s poll of league defensive minds, as well as Kellen Moore, now the head coach in New Orleans and the architect of two No. 1 offenses.
Maybe Mailata is exaggerating a little. Maybe he isn’t.
“Yeah, I've just been blown away by that evil genius."
In Other News...
Eagles Camp Is Sending An Early Warning About Eli Stowers
Training camp has already made one thing clear in Philadelphia: the tight end room is being sorted by role, not just by name. Dallas Goedert is handling the starters job, while veteran Johnny Mundt has been getting notable work as the blocking presence in the Eagles 12-personnel looks, the kind of package that asks one tight end to help in the run game and another to threaten the defense as a receiver.
Eli Stowers, meanwhile, has not been seeing much action early on, which is a reminder that camp reps can tell you as much about the pecking order as any depth chart. The Eagles are trying to build a tight end mix that can do both jobs, and for now the competition behind Goedert is still taking shape as the staff sorts through who fits best in those specialized snaps. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Have Finally Found Hurts New No. 2 Target
Training camp has a way of sorting out the pecking order quickly, and Dontayvion Wicks has given the Eagles a reason to keep watching. The receiver, acquired from Green Bay and locked in on a one-year extension, has flashed enough early to make himself part of the conversation as Philadelphia looks for a new running mate for DeVonta Smith.
The most encouraging sign has been the kind of play that turns heads in camp, including a tough catch in double coverage that suggested he can win when the window shrinks. With the Eagles still evaluating who can step into the WR2 role, Wicks is starting to look like more than just another name in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Are Already Committing To A Stunning Fangio Development Gamble
Uar Bernard is getting his first taste of an NFL training camp with the Eagles, and the early stages of his development are as raw as they come. Philadelphia took the seventh-round pick as a long-term project, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Bernard is still in the learning phase as the team starts to map out how he can eventually fit.
The Eagles are willing to be patient with that process, even carving out a roster spot for Bernard while they work through the details of his growth. It is the same kind of developmental bet they once made with Jordan Mailata, and the hope is that patience and persistence can turn a fascinating gamble into a real contributor down the line. [Read more 🡒]