Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That’s a classic question with no perfect answer. I bring this up in reference to the new offense that Jalen Hurts will be running in 2026. Sean Mannion’s system calls for the ball to be spread around, something Hurts has failed to do in the NFL.
But why?
Howie Roseman gave him stars. You feed the ball to stars. Why throw to Darius Cooper or Parris Campbell or Zach Pascal when you have AJ and DeVonta? That wouldn’t make a ton of sense. Howie referenced that the Eagles have mostly been lucky in terms of injuries in regard to the receiver position. Had AJ or DeVonta been seriously hurt, the offense would have been a real issue.
The Eagles have made a concerted effort to truly build a WR corps this season. DeVonta will be the focus and man one of the outside spots. Dontayvion Wicks will be the other outside receiver. First round pick Makai Lemon will man the slot. That’s a talented trio. Hollywood Brown can play outside or in the slot and should be number four. Competition will determine the roster spots after that.
Elijah Moore Johnny Wilson Darius Cooper Quez Watkins Britain Covey
I don’t think the Eagles have had WR depth like this in my lifetime. That isn’t to say everyone will play great and things will be flawless. But part of the point is for there to be enough legitimately talented bodies so that you aren’t settling for guys with upside. The Eagles need five or six receivers who can all play and contribute if called upon.
Wilson missed last year, but showed promise as a rookie. He was a valuable blocker in the run game. They still think Cooper can develop into a good player. Moore is a former second round pick with more than 200 career catches. He can play. Watkins has big time speed. Covey is a terrific PR and is good after the catch. These aren’t just bodies. Danny Gray is the one guy I’d probably put in that category and even he was a third round pick.
Hurts will finally have a true WR corps. Now it is up to him to spread the ball around. Last year the Eagles attempted 497 passes. Four players had 30 or more catches. Only five had 10 or more. Compare that to Green Bay. They threw 489 passes. They had five players with 30 or more (and one with 29). They had 12 players with 10 or more catches. That’s a substantial difference in spreading the ball around.
The default target for Hurts has always been AJ. With him removed from the equation in a few weeks, things will have to change. It will be a real adjustment for Hurts to deal with progressions and look for the open guy instead of getting the ball to the superstar. But that will help him grow as a passer. The best QBs get the ball to the right guy on a given play, not just feed the star.
I’m glad the Eagles brought in this new offense and then built the roster accordingly. Feeding the ball to a couple of stars can work (see Dallas 1992-1995), but far more teams have had success with a key receiver and a strong supporting cast. That gets more people involved and makes the offense less predictable. You put more pressure on the defense.
Mannion can sell Hurts on this concept and help him understand why you want to do it. Then it will be up to Hurts to make it happen.
— Old Time Football (@Ol_TimeFootball) May 12, 2026
When we talk about the best TEs in team history, Young doesn’t get enough attention. He was a truly great player. Watch that clip and you’ll see a TE reverse in the 1970’s. Who knew?
He was eventually traded for some dude named Ron Jaworski. That worked out well for the Eagles and the Rams. Bill Walsh traded for him later and Young helped establish the Niners dynasty. He was a great player and team leader.
*****
The Eagles were the best screen team in the league under Andy Reid. The screen game has been a mess in recent years and it drives me crazy. The screen pass is a great play when well executed.
Many have said this will be a crossroads season for Jalen Hurts. Some Eagles fans may bristle at that notion, but I think there is some truth to it. There is no denying his resume, with two Super Bowl trips and one Lombardi, as well as being a consistent winner. But players must constantly evolve as defenses learn how to play them and there are always changes on their own team. You have to look forward more than in the rearview mirror. What worked in 2022 and 2024 may not be right for 2026, regardless of who is calling plays.
Hurts will be running Sean Mannion’s new offense this season. This scheme will be a version of the McVay/Shanahan offense. It is a QB friendly system. Matt Stafford has been MVP and a Super Bowl winner in it. Jimmy Garoppolo went to the SB in the system. Jordan Love has played well in it. Tua Tagovailoa had his best season in a version of the offense. Kirk Cousins thrived in it. That’s a group of different QBs with different skill sets. Hurts is a talented QB. He can make this work, if he buys in fully and really works at it.
Great nugget from @JFowlerESPN on SportsCenter: “I’m hearing the two have hit it off, and Jalen Hurts likes how Sean Mannion structures the offense, how he talks about how they’re going to attack things because it’s going to look different. It’s going to be more under center for…
Take that for what its worth. Could have been leaked by Jalen’s agent or the Eagles. Could be totally legit. Let’s certainly hope so.
A key part of being a good coach is having a schematic vision and then being able to coach that vision. Players often want to know why they are doing something, not just how to do it. The best coaches can break things down so the players have a good understanding. Mannion is a former player. He wasn’t a great athlete so he had to do the little things well. That mentality has served him well as a coach. If he proves to be a good communicator and teacher, it will make all the difference in the world.
Hurts has preferred to attack outside in his career. Avoid tight coverages and find good matchups. That makes total sense, but he got overly reliant on that and it hurt the passing attack. He could be reluctant to go to Plan B. Some of you will start screaming about Kevin Patullo. Give it a rest. Hurts has had passing struggles throughout his career. Think about the Jets and Seahawaks games in 2023 or the Panthers debacle in 2024. The talent is there. Hurts needs to have more answers. This new offense should help him in that regard.
Will Hurts buy in? I tend to think so. He is incredibly driven. He wants to win, to succeed. All good QBs develop a sense of entitlement. You want them to be confident and have strong beliefs. But he’s also the son of a coach. He’s had constant coaching changes around him. He’s not your typical star QB. Hurts would love to silence his national critics and have the local ones start focusing on the Flyers power play and Sixers overall struggles.
One of the keys here is that just because he hasn’t run an offense like this doesn’t mean he can’t.
This was Jalen Hurts’ first career under center dropback pass that did not feature play action. pic.twitter.com/7J2Codrfij
Jalen Hurts and the #Eagles utilizing under center play-action on Sunday will be important going forward and should open more opportunities to attack the intermediate middle of the field throws.
And here is Nate Tice talking about how Mannion has stuff in his system that Hurts is already good at. He talks about the merging of ideas, which is what you want. Having a coach come say “my way or the highway” is dumb. You need someone who can bring out the best in his players. Mannion will have throws in his system that Hurts is good at. Make sure to use those, to help the offense and build Hurts confidence.
The Mannion, Lemon, and Stowers additions to the Eagles have me fascinated about what’s going to unfold this year (and beyond) with the Eagles.
And while at first I was squinting to see how this all fits with Jalen Hurts, I’m starting to see cleaner fits with Lemon & Stowers’… pic.twitter.com/IgPwujJuim
Being under center is only part of the equation. There will be pistol and shotgun looks as well. This won’t all be foreign to Hurts. The biggest change will be his need to attack the middle of the field more. He doesn’t have to work it like a WCO QB from the 80’s, but he can’t be at the bottom of the league in MOF throws. A huge part of this offense is yards after the catch. Some of that will come from quick screens, but a lot will be over the middle.
Mannion’s job is to make Hurts more comfortable at attacking the MOF. Hurts will still prefer attacking outside or down the field and those throws will be available to him on some plays. But he must get the ball to Wicks, DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon over the middle so they can make plays for him.
The other X-factor in all of this will be how Hurts and Mannion use his mobility. If you take away his running, Hurts is a much less dangerous QB. He didn’t want to run as much in 2025 and it hurt the offense. He stayed healthy all year, which was great, but the offense wasn’t as effective. There needs to be a middle ground where he runs, but isn’t overly relied upon. It will be interesting to see how that works out.
I’m optimistic for now and can’t wait to hear how the offense looks this summer. There will be ups and downs. We have to be patient. Changes take time to work through and we must give time to Hurts to adjust to a brand new system and several new faces. The offense may be run-heavy early so Hurts can ease into the passing game. We’ll see.
If Hurts can thrive in the new offense, it will help both him and the Eagles. Defenses will have to learn to stop a new attack. And if Hurts can become a more consistent passer, it can elongate his career. Let’s hope Mannion and Hurts prove to be a winning combination.
Then maybe we’ll have Mannion call the Flyers about that power play.