Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion talks Eagles’ early down woes, potential Zach Ertz role
The Eagles have a marked disparity between first- and third-down success rate in the early stages of the season.
Sean Mannion knows his offense is still a work in progress.
There have been positive signs, no doubt — like the team’s strong third-down conversion rate (53%) — but their track record in one particular area ranks near the bottom of the league.
Early downs.
According to Sportradar, the Eagles have an offensive success rate of 37% on first and second downs, which ranks last in the NFL. They’ve converted a first down on first down just one time and they’re tied for the most negative plays on offense through two weeks.
» READ MORE: Does Zach Ertz still have the juice to contribute to the Eagles? Here’s what the film — and history — says
So, what gives? Mannion tried to explain this bizarre early vs. late down stat discrepancy during his Wednesday press conference.
“There’s always going to be things to clean up each week,” Mannion said. “We’re really close on a lot of our things on first and second down. Just some fundamental things to clean up, corrections to make. We’re always looking as a staff to put everyone in the best possible position to succeed. Not to make it coachspeak or anything like that, but I think we’re really close there.”
Improvement in the run game would be e a big first step. Eagles running backs average just 3.7 yards per carry in the first two weeks. They averaged 2.8 yards per carry in the walk-off win at the Titans last Sunday.
Coach Nick Sirianni didn’t offer much of an update Monday on Saquon Barkley, who missed the majority of the first half against the Titans, but he did finish the game so that could bode well for his Week 3 status. What does Mannion think of the current state of the run game?
“We’re close,” he said. “A few little things fundamentally, just some of the smaller details that, if we attack those, it’ll really come to life for us. But the guys are bought in. I think what we’re doing, being able to stay on schedule on first and second down, allows you to call more runs. You never know when those are about to pop… I feel that, moving forward, those are going to start to break through.”
What will Ertz’s role be?
The Eagles signed tight end Zach Ertz — who spent the first eight years of his career in Philadelphia — to their practice squad Tuesday. The franchise legend will help fill the void left by Dallas Goedert, who is likely out several weeks due to a sprained MCL.
The offense Mannion runs leans heavily on tight ends. So how, exactly, does he plan on using the 35-year-old?
“He’s a very comfortable pass catcher. He’s had a really strong track record in that area. When you look at the tight end group, it’s really about the composite of everyone’s skill sets together. It’s what makes that position specifically unique — it’s about complementary skillsets and how they play off one another… We’ll use the week to evaluate and see what Zach’s role looks like.”
With second-round pick Eli Stowers (quad/hamstring) and Grant Calcaterra (back) on injured reserve, Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins are the only healthy tight ends on the Eagles roster. They’re both blocking tight ends. That could mean that targets are coming Ertz’s way (he’s only 11 receptions shy of breaking Harold Carmichael’s franchise record of 589).
“We’ll use this practice week and see what it looks like moving forward with us,” Mannion said. “Excited to add him. I know [we’re] a little dinged up at the position… But Zach has a lot of history with the organization. Excited to bring him in and use the week to see what his role may or may not look like.”
