Why Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata ‘absolutely loves’ the new offensive scheme
Mailata, who did a meet-and-greet at Art History 101 Clothing Co. in Mayfair to celebrate the launch of the store’s T-shirt made in his honor, is enjoying the "new challenge" of Sean Mannion's system.
Jordan Mailata knows all too well that this Eagles season is going to look very different.
The team’s left tackle is experiencing firsthand the sweeping changes that were made this offseason — like moving on from its offensive coordinator, longtime offensive line coach, and No. 1 wide receiver — and he knows it’ll take time for them to sink in.
So, with training camp just over a week away, the sixth-year veteran said he and his teammates are focused on just one thing.
» READ MORE: Eagles first-round wide receiver Makai Lemon says he’s ’100 percent’ for camp after missing final OTAs
“It’s just learning the playbook,” Mailata said, speaking at Art History 101 Clothing Co. in Mayfair to celebrate the launch of the store’s T-shirt made in his honor. “There’s no, like, pressure to come in any sort of way. The season’s long, training camp’s long, so the mindset of the team has never changed. I mean, daily deposits. Yeah, it’s good to even have the same vets that carry over.
“Just because we’re in a new system doesn’t mean that the daily grind changes.”
The new playbook in question is the brainchild of new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who is expected to implement a wide zone scheme with concepts that look similar to those of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. If executed properly, the wide zone blocking concepts will stretch opposing defenses horizontally. Mailata said he is excited about the potential of this new scheme.
“I absolutely love it,” he said. “It’s a new challenge. Very easy to follow along, but hard to remember, just because there’s so much to setting up the plays. But so far it’s been fun. You’re having a great time just learning this new offense because it’s something that we’re not familiar with. It’s a whole new direction, going into an outside direction.
“It’s going to stress defenses and it’s going to be fun.”
Teaching Mailata and Co. these concepts is offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who replaced 13-year line coach Jeff Stoutland in February. Getting used to a new face has been an adjustment — especially for Mailata, a former Australian rugby player who learned to play the sport from Stoutland — but the early reviews of Kuper, who played eight years in the NFL, have been positive.
“He brings a lot to the table, especially for me, who’s had the same coach for the last eight years,” said Mailata, who added that Kuper’s experience has been a “tremendous boost“ with Mannion’s new scheme. “Having someone new coming to the table with a new technique, new things to offer me, it’s refreshing. It’s nice because I’m not one to always say, ‘I know everything, I’m the best.’ That’s not me. So if you have something to offer me, I’m always going to sit down and say, ‘Yes, sir.’ And he has a lot to offer.”
Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We’re rolling out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balances offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.
- QB Andy Dalton, DB Kapena Gushiken
- LB Arnold Ekibetie, OL Jaedan Roberts
- WR Elijah Moore, RB Dameon Pierce
- T Markel Bell, EDGE Joshua Weru
- G Michael Jordan, LS Rocco Underwood
- TE Eli Stowers, S Maximus Pulley
- LB Jonathan Greenard, T John Ojukwu
- TE Stone Smartt, LB Deontae Lawson
- TE Johnny Mundt, DE Ta'Quon Graham
- S Cole Wisniewski, RB Elijah Mitchell
- WR Makai Lemon, CB Shaun Wade
- CB Jonathan Jones, WR Samori Touré
- DE A.J. Epenesa, G Micah Morris
- QB Cole Payton, S Tucker Large
- S J.T. Gray, TE Dae'Quan Wright
The offensive line will need to play much better than in its injury-riddled 2025 season, when Lane Johnson missed half the season, and Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson played through injury. Mailata played well, allowing just two sacks and 28 pressures on 566 pass protection reps, but the unit will need more cohesion (and better injury luck) if it is to return to its dominant 2024 form.
As a transformative offseason winds down, Mailata is taking in his last few days by giving back. At the meet-and-greet event in Mayfair on Saturday, Eagles fans lined up for hours just to speak to and take photos with the 6-foot-8 lineman. He greeted every fan as if he knew them for years.
“Everybody needs some positivity right now,” said Brian Fritz, who helped organize the event at Art History 101. “There’s no better representative of Philly than Jordan Mailata. He’s not from here, but it feels like he is.”
Jeffrey Lurie has owned the Philadelphia Eagles, which he purchased in 1994, longer than his son, Julian, has been alive. But in recent years, the younger Lurie, heir to the franchise and now 31, has assumed a more pervasive and influential role in the organization. While the Eagles have made no secret about Julian’s increased involvement with the team, specifics about his role have been scant. In recent months, The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane spoke to nearly two dozen sources on and off the record to gain a better understanding of not just who Julian Lurie is and what he does, but - most important of all - whether he’ll be ready to assume the reins as Eagles Chairman and CEO, whenever the time comes. Jeff shares the biggest takeaways from his reporting with Inquirer columnist Mike Sielski in this companion episode to Jeff’s feature article about the Eagles' succession plan. Listen here.
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