How will Jalen Hurts adjust to a new scheme? What’s the depth chart at wideout? Biggest offensive questions for the Eagles ahead of OTAs
A new offensive coordinator and lots of key new faces will invite plenty of springtime scrutiny for the Birds.
Organized Team Activities (OTAs) will begin for the Eagles on May 26 at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, and the work of an offense that has undergone a significant offseason overhaul will receive the brightest of spotlights.
With that in mind, The Inquirer’s Eagles reporters Olivia Reiner, Jeff Neiburg, and Ryan Novozinsky addressed the hottest-button issues on that side of the ball in advance of next week’s workouts.
How quickly will Jalen Hurts acclimate to coordinator Sean Mannion and the new offense?
The adjustment isn’t going to happen overnight. Back in 2024, when Kellen Moore joined the staff as offensive coordinator, Hurts said during that June’s mandatory minicamp that the offseason was about “learning and taking in a new knowledge, new perspective.” With yet another offensive coordinator, Hurts was tasked with nailing down an offense he estimated was 95% new.
But the offense that took the field on Week 1 wasn’t the same as the one that hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. It took some time for the offense to find its identity, which was ultimately rooted in the run game. The final product of that Super Bowl-winning offense was more of a meshing between the pre-existing offense and some of Moore’s concepts and philosophies.
Mannion hasn’t publicly laid out his vision for the offense since he was hired in January. We expect to hear from him for the first time soon. But based on the near overhaul of the offensive coaching staff this offseason, it isn’t a reach to infer that Mannion is going to have total authority over the offense, which is expected to have Shanahan/McVay influences like the schemes in his previous stops as a coach and a player. If Moore’s offense was 95% new to Hurts, Mannion’s ought to be an even greater adjustment.
Even so, the offense in Week 1 is going to grow and evolve as the season progresses. Exactly how it grows and evolves will depend on the personnel — especially Hurts — and their strengths and weaknesses within the scheme. — Olivia Reiner
With so many experienced offensive minds on the staff, what’s the division of labor going to look like in installing the offense?
The Eagles hired Mannion because they saw a vision and a plan. They view him as a bright offensive mind with a future in this league. It’s going to be his offense. That being said, Nick Sirianni has always talked about the offense being collaborative. Sirianni is an offensive coach himself who has been coaching offenses in college and the NFL since 2006.
Mannion, a 34-year-old first-year coordinator and play-caller, is surrounded by experienced offensive coaches. Besides Sirianni, the Eagles hired Josh Grizzard to be the pass game coordinator and Jerrod Johnson to be a senior offensive analyst. The two of them were candidates for the coordinator job, too. Parks Frazier, who was the pass game coordinator and is now the quarterbacks coach, has play-calling experience.
Too many cooks in the kitchen? That’s one way of looking at it. But that’s speculative and unfounded at this juncture. Right now, the Eagles have surrounded Hurts and the offense with a mix of experience and freshness. Mannion will usher in new concepts and bring the Eagles a different flavor. We’ll get a first look at how the install is going soon. — Jeff Neiburg
What must be sorted out with the wide receiver depth chart?
The Eagles’ wide receiver depth chart seems pretty clear cut outside of the major elephant in the room — the team still needs to actually trade A.J. Brown. Yes, we all know it’s probably going to happen after June 1, but what does the deal end up looking like? Does Howie Roseman manage to snag a pick and a player like, say, Kayshon Boutte from New England? And what kind of ripple effect does that have on the depth chart?
For the purposes of this story, let’s assume the Birds just get draft capital in return for Brown. Barring a bidding war, most insiders believe that will be the case. If so, the depth chart becomes easy: 1) DeVonta Smith, 2) Makai Lemon, 3) Dontayvion Wicks, 4) Hollywood Brown, 5) Darius Cooper, 6) Johnny Wilson, 7) Elijah Moore, 8) Britain Covey, 9) Danny Gray, 10) Quez Watkins.
Now the only thing that must be “sorted out” is whether they can recreate A.J. Brown’s dominant production in the aggregate. Can Smith emerge as a legitimate No. 1 threat? How will Lemon — who will presumably line up at slot, where he played 75% of his college snaps — look in Year 1? The ultimate wild card is Wicks, who has a lot to prove after Green Bay shipped him out this spring. — Ryan Novozinsky
What’s the primary objective for new offensive line coach Chris Kuper?
In the short term, Kuper’s top priority will be to help the offensive line learn and adjust to the new scheme. If the Shanahan-McVay coaching tree offers any indication, the Eagles’ run game will feature plenty of wide zone blocking to stretch opposing defenses horizontally. Kuper ought to be well-acquainted with the scheme, as he both played for Mike Shanahan’s Denver Broncos and coached the offensive line for the Minnesota Vikings under head coach Kevin O’Connell, an offshoot from the Sean McVay branch of the Shanahan tree.
» READ MORE: Beyond the grade: 360-degree analysis of Eagles Day 2 picks Eli Stowers and Markel Bell
While some of the concepts might not be totally foreign to the members of the Eagles offensive line, the man bringing those plays to life is new to the building. In Kuper, Lane Johnson will have a new offensive line coach for the first time in his 14-year Eagles career after Jeff Stoutland announced his departure this offseason.
Kuper has big shoes to fill and a big long-term goal to attain: Restore the offensive line to its past dominance. Between injuries and poor performance in 2025, the group took a step back, especially compared to their 2024 success in paving the way for Saquon Barkley. Kuper must get the offensive line back on track, all the while developing the young depth tackles, namely Markel Bell, as the team evaluates its options for life after Johnson. — Reiner
What are the roles / reps going to look like for the tight ends?
Drafting Eli Stowers changed the outlook for the depth chart. The biggest loser in the aftermath certainly is Grant Calcaterra. The Eagles re-signed him to a one-year deal, but his roster spot is definitely in jeopardy.
The Eagles kept three tight ends on their initial 53-man roster last season and only two a year prior.
Dallas Goedert and Stowers are shoo-ins to make the roster. And Johnny Mundt, the former Jaguars tight end the Eagles signed in free agency, figures to have first dibs on the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.
The Eagles struggled last year blocking at the tight end spot, and Mundt is a blocking specialist brought in to help rectify that problem. Blocking hasn’t been a strong part of Calcaterra’s game, and it seems unlikely that the Eagles leave camp with Goedert, Stowers, and Calcaterra as the three tight ends — though it’s not impossible.
Stowers, a former quarterback, has some work to do when it comes to blocking and the Eagles seem most likely to utilize him as a receiver. Goedert’s blocking took a step back last season but he was as prolific of a red-zone threat at his position.
How the reps shake out remains to be seen.
The Eagles also have some other intriguing players at the position, including undrafted free agent Dae’Quan Wright out of Ole Miss, and Cameron Latu, who may have a path to a roster spot at the fullback spot. The Eagles have plenty of depth at tight end, more than they did in 2025. — Neiburg
Beyond those mentioned above, which offensive newcomers have a chance to turn heads in OTAs?
Look, maybe I’m gushing about a potentially gimmicky player, but I’m excited to see what Cole Payton looks like in OTAs. The North Dakota State quarterback has drawn comparisons to Taysom Hill. One longtime quarterback coach even said this of the rookie last month: “Cole Payton is no Taysom Hill, he’s better.” What does Mannion — an innovative offensive mind — do with a player like that? How does this impact the Tush Push?
I’m staying in the quarterback room for my next pick: How does Andy Dalton look under center? The 38-year-old journeyman is two years removed from starting five games and just four years removed from starting 14 (and winning six). This is not to suggest that Dalton would ever dethrone Hurts. But the Eagles will need him to be fresh if Hurts were to miss time this season. Let’s see if Mannion can give him a career revival. — Novozinsky
The Eagles held a rookie minicamp over the weekend, which means that, for the first time this offseason, there are actual on-field football things to talk about. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner were on hand, and share what they learned from practice observations and locker room conversations. Plus, Jeff gives context to the recent departures of two key members of general manager Howie Roseman’s front office staff. Listen here.
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