Eagles O-line coach Chris Kuper praises group, embraces ongoing process: ‘We’ve come a long way’
Kuper, who takes over for the revered Jeff Stoutland, says the trench group is making strides.
Chris Kuper inherited a group with a lengthy resumé. Among the five Eagles starting offensive linemen, three have been selected to the Pro Bowl, two have been named to an All-Pro team, and together they’ve combined for nearly 400 NFL starts.
Lane Johnson, who said he plans to retire at the end of the season, may be one of the best right tackles in league history. Jordan Mailata is one of the league’s best success stories. Landon Dickerson has played through more pain than most and has made three Pro Bowls. Cam Jurgens entered the NFL as a center, started for a year at guard while waiting his turn, and then replaced a Hall of Fame center by posting two consecutive Pro Bowl seasons. Tyler Steen, meanwhile, has found his confidence and will this year aim to build off his first year as a starting NFL guard.
The Eagles are undergoing a major overhaul on offense under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Up front, the revamp means a different run blocking scheme and a new approach at the line of scrimmage. And it comes with a new voice; Kuper replaced longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
But Kuper, 43, an eight-year NFL guard who most recently coached the offensive line for three seasons in Minnesota, sees his responsibility as “meeting them where they’re at” when it comes to his new pupils. Sure, there’s a lot of change happening, but there’s an element of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it happening, too.
“I learn as much from these guys as I hope that they learn from me,” Kuper said Thursday. “I’m just giving them little tools. There’s a lot of stuff that Lane does that I’ve never seen anyone else do that. Sometimes you just leave that stuff alone.”
To be sure, there is a lot going on in the offensive line’s meeting room. Wide and outside zone run blocking is a new beast compared to the inside zone and vertical blocking schemes Stoutland was coaching in the past. The players have been amenable to the changes. Johnson said the new offense is friendlier to the offensive line and has raved about not being on an island so often in pass blocking, too.
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“We’ve come a long way,” Kuper said of the progress that’s been made. “Still not there yet with what we’re going to be at the end of the season. … They’re very much into their job and to mastering their craft, which is kind of what we harp on in the room every day.”
How Jalen Hurts adapts to the new offense and how the Eagles move on without A.J. Brown will be major factors in 2026, but the offensive line’s health and performance will be pivotal. The unit may be experienced, but it’s also been battered by injuries. Dickerson and Jurgens both went to Colombia for stem cell therapy treatment to manage their pain. Johnson missed the second half of the 2025 season with a foot injury and, while he feels and looks healthy, has decided this will probably be his last ride.
Kuper said he’s enjoyed learning from his new players. The way they see the game helps him coach them in a specific way to “get them to where they need to be.”
“He can relate to a lot of us,” Dickerson said earlier in training camp.
One of the biggest changes to the offense has Dickerson excited. The Eagles of 2025 led the league in last-second plays. They often got to the line of scrimmage late, and the previous offense was more about problem-solving at the line, Dickerson said.
“This offense is really just about being quick, getting to the ball, and running our plays,” he said last month.
“This just lets us get up there and play ball fast.”
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Kuper said the new offense emphasizes “using the cadence as a weapon and owning the cadence.”
“That is going to be a part of how we put stress on the defense,” he said.
The Eagles have “changed a lot of things,” Kuper said, which includes cadences, silent cadences, and the overall scheme itself.
“We’re making strides,” he said, “and we’ll put ourselves to the test here in Week 1.”
The Eagles’ regular season roster is set - for now. How ready is the team for the new year, and will the talent be enough for the Eagles to get back to Super Bowl contention? The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Mike Sielski examine general manager Howie Roseman’s final roster decisions in the aftermath of cutdown day. Listen here.
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