Sean Mannion talked Jalen Hurts, coaching influences, new run-blocking scheme in his first news conference as Eagles offensive coordinator

Sean Mannion may be a first-time play-caller, but he has long been thinking like one.

That mentality dates back — not all that far — to his days as a player. Mannion, 34, spent nine years as a backup quarterback in the NFL from 2015-23, including stints with the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Seattle Seahawks.

From stop to stop, coach to coach, Mannion maintained a unique perspective compared to his fellow quarterbacks on the knowledge he gained.

“I’ve been really fortunate to work with a lot of great coaches and pick up a lot of things along the way, and always attacked it with the end in mind in terms of knowing someday I’m going to get into coaching,” Mannion said. “‘Someday I hope to become a play-caller. How am I going to use this?’”

“Someday” has arrived. Mannion was hired in January as the fifth offensive coordinator and sixth offensive play-caller under Nick Sirianni. On Thursday, Mannion spoke publicly for the first time since he joined the staff about his offense and the process of building it throughout the offseason program.

Here’s what we learned about the Eagles scheme under Mannion, the personnel that will power it, and the influences that are shaping it:

The Eagles returned to the Jefferson Health Training Complex just a month ago, but Mannion said he already has a strong impression of Jalen Hurts.

The 27-year-old quarterback has had a litany of offensive coordinators throughout his seven-year Eagles career, six as the starter. Adjusting to a new offense isn’t a new undertaking for Hurts, and Mannion can tell.

Mannion said that Hurts, having gone through this process of installing a new scheme on multiple occasions, is a “really capable learner” who has been “outstanding in the meetings.”

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That strong impression applies to the football field, too. Mannion spoke highly of Hurts’ arm strength, his accuracy as a passer, and his overall athleticism.

“I really think he can do anything we ask of him,” Mannion said. “He’s accurate, he’s a great athlete, he really attacks the fundamentals. That’s what’s been really fun to watch these last two weeks of Phase 2. He’s always coming, wanting more things to work on, wanting more things regarding fundamentals, timing, understanding the scheme. He’s hungry for more, and those are the guys that are really fun to work with.”

But how often will he be called upon for designed runs? That facet was a critical part of Hurts’ game early on in his career, but it wasn’t featured as prominently in 2025. According to Pro Football Focus, Hurts had just 174 designed rushing yards last season, a career low.

“He is uniquely skilled in that way,” Mannion said. “That will be a part of it. But it won’t be the only part of it. It’s going to be a system that we’re building and constantly looking to add, evolve.”

With a new offensive coordinator for the Eagles also comes a new run game coordinator in Ryan Mahaffey and offensive line coach in Chris Kuper.

Both coaches will help shape the Saquon Barkley-led run game. But how will that run game differ from years past under Jeff Stoutland? Mannion confirmed that the approach will be shifting, likely toward the wide-zone scheme often featured in the Shanahan/McVay offense.

With a revamped scheme, the rushing unit will look to get back to its dominance, which was at its peak during the 2024 Super Bowl run. That year, Barkley eclipsed 2,000 rushing yards, then followed his historic performance up with 1,140 the following season.

For now, Mannion says he is pleased with the offensive line and its willingness to learn as the staff installs the new rushing offense.

“They’ve really taken a lot of the changes that we’ve been making,” Mannion said. “I feel like they’ve got a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do from a bird’s eye perspective as an offense, and then also on the more micro level, in terms of the really key fundamentals that make it go. But they’ve really been leaning into that, and it’s a really fun group to get to work with, a talented group and a fun group.”

Mannion didn’t offer many specifics about his offense and what it might entail. He never uttered the names “Shanahan” or “McVay.”

However, he did acknowledge that there are some “things that schematically I have a background in” that will dictate certain aspects of the offense. Mannion played for Sean McVay with the Rams and coached with Matt LaFleur, who also worked with McVay and both Mike and Kyle Shanahan, on the Green Bay Packers’ staff.

Ultimately, though, Mannion called the scheme a “blend” that will include remnants of previous Eagles offenses. He also set forth something of a mission statement regarding the type of play-caller he aspires to become.

“I want to be someone who is versatile, who is always looking to attack defenses in different ways, is always looking to evolve, and ultimately always looking to maximize the talents of our players,” Mannion said.

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Mannion shared some broad philosophies that will shape the direction of the Eagles offense, too. Just as Sirianni noted in February, Mannion expressed that he seeks to marry the run game with the pass game. That approach will likely lend itself to the play-action game, using the threat of the run to set up the pass.

“We want to make sure that as many different elements of our offense, that they fit together, that they look the same,” Mannion said. “How do we build this wide array of things that kind of start off of a similar type of look?”

The process of building those plays isn’t solely driven by Mannion. He emphasized the collaborative nature among the coaches in all aspects of the offense.

“Thinking outside the box, that’s where I’m really excited about the group of coaches we brought in,” Mannion said. “Everyone’s been bringing outstanding ideas to the table. It’s really a group of guys who are very intelligent, very creative, really work at it, study all these different things around the league and college.”

Installing a new offense also means teaching a new verbiage. Mannion also referred to the language of the offense as a “blend.” Some terminology used previously may change, some of it might stick with the new scheme.

“That’s something we’ve looked at, really, from Day 1, understanding the background of this scheme here, what are some of the things we want to add, what are the things we want to tweak, and how do we build the language of our offense?” Mannion said. “But that’s been a great process.”

For Mannion, experience — both as a player and as a coach — has been one of his greatest teachers as he prepares to step into a play-calling role.

“In Green Bay, you’re always going through as a quarterback coach, you’re saying, ‘All right, what calls do I have to have Jordan Love ready for?’” Mannion said. “You’re kind of thinking through the process of the game. Throughout the week, what’s Matt going to look to call here? What’s my favorite third-down call? So you’re always kind of taking yourself through that process mentally.

“It was the same thing as a player. You’re saying, ‘Hey, what’s my favorite call in the high red zone? If it’s a high-blitz game, what’s my favorite call? When am I going to come to the sideline and be like, ‘Hey, can I get this one on our next third-and-medium where you might be getting a lot of pressure?’”

» READ MORE: 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

But his job isn’t just about calling plays. Mannion is also tasked with teaching his offense to his players, a process that is influenced heavily by the teachers he has had throughout his life. His parents, John and Inga, were his first and most impactful.

“My dad was a longtime high school football coach,” Mannion said. “Been around the game my entire life. He’s a teacher, my mom’s a teacher. You can kind of hear me talk about the teaching influence a lot when it comes to coaching. But just the drive, the work ethic, the relationships with the players, the commitment to fundamentals. My dad was a huge influence on me there.”

Mannion also listed Mike Riley, his college coach at Oregon State, and LaFleur among his coaching influences. Sirianni, his colleague of just five months, has made a strong impact on Mannion, too.

“He really has total and absolute commitment to the things that are important to winning, stresses them all the time,” Mannion said. “He’s a great communicator, a great leader for our organization, and I know I’m only, gosh, a few months in with Nick, but I’ve already learned a ton, and I can’t wait to keep learning from him, because he’s a tremendous resource for me.”

Four months into his tenure as offensive coordinator, Mannion got a gift from Howie Roseman: a first-round wide receiver.

Mannion said he is “really excited” about Makai Lemon, the Eagles’ No. 20 overall pick out of USC. In practice, Mannion said he has seen all of the traits that made Lemon a standout in college. The offensive coordinator raved about Lemon’s hands, his ability to rack up yards after the catch, and his toughness.

“He’s a tremendous young talent, but even just out at practice, you can see he practices really hard, he studies hard, he really takes a ton of pride in all the little details,” Mannion said. “And that’s a sign of a true pro. He’s just getting started on that journey, but with his degree of talent and the way he’s been working, I really think he’s going to do a lot of great stuff for us now and in the future as well.”

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If A.J. Brown is traded after June 1, Lemon could be poised to assume the WR2 role behind DeVonta Smith. When asked about the receiving corps as a whole, Mannion made no mention of Brown, instead singling out Lemon and Smith, then discussing the talent of the collective group.

“The wide receiver group specifically has been a lot of fun,” Mannion said. “I think we have a lot of guys with complementary skill sets. They’re tough, they compete every day at practice, they really attack the fundamentals, catching the football, yards after catch, all those things. So really excited about that group and how they fit with one another, and then how they fit with the larger picture of the offense.”

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