INDIANAPOLIS — The Las Vegas Raiders are planning to keep star edge rusher Maxx Crosby despite the trade talk around the five-time Pro Bowl pick, general manager John Spytek said Tuesday.
“Maxx is an elite player. I’ve been very upfront from the start since I got here, that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them,” Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Crosby has been rehabilitating from left knee surgery he underwent three days after the regular season ended, as speculation about his status has persisted following an NFL-worst 3-14 record for the Raiders and the firing of coach Pete Carroll after just one year on the job.
Crosby said earlier this month he doesn’t want out and that the unsubstantiated reports suggesting he does make him laugh. His future with the club that drafted him in the fourth round out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 became a subject when he was placed on injured reserve with two games left against his wish, preferring to play out the season. Crosby, who has 69½ sacks in seven years, had a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025.
Nick Sirianni praises new Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker
Christian Parker during a news conference last week with the Cowboys.
Former Eagles defensive assistant coach Christian Parker reportedly beat out eight other contenders to land the Dallas Cowboys’ vacant defensive coordinator position.
“Every impression we had with CP just left us wanting more,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters at a news conference last week. “The conviction that he has, but curious, his calm demeanor, just the way he carries himself, is awesome … It became very clear he was the guy for the job.”
Speaking to reporters at the NFL scouting combine Tuesday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni called Parker “a phenomenal football coach,” crediting him with “a lot” of the team’s player development success.
“I think the world of him and wish him the best,” Sirianni said, “with the exception of two games each year.”
Howie Roseman: Brandon Graham ‘always welcome in Philadelphia’
Brandon Graham un-retired to play for the Eagles last season.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman praised veteran defender Brandon Graham, who unretired to rejoin the Birds for a 16th season.
But Roseman didn’t say whether Graham, 37, would be back with the squad this season.
“Brandon Graham is always welcome in Philadelphia, obviously,” Roseman told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine Tuesday. “When I think about what he’s done for us as a player, as a person, and then last year when he came back, the versatility he showed … future Eagles Hall of Famer.”
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni shared Roseman’s sentiment when asked about Graham at the combine Tuesday.
“I’m not going to say it’s a ridiculous question, but of course, you want guys back like that,” Sirianni said.
Maxx Crosby said he loved playing in the hostile environment of Lincoln Financial Field.
The Las Vegas Raiders are planning to keep star edge rusher Maxx Crosby despite the trade talk around the five-time Pro Bowl pick, general manager John Spytek said Tuesday.
“Maxx is an elite player. I’ve been very upfront from the start since I got here, that we’re in the business of having really good players on the team, and we need a lot more of them,” Spytek said at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Crosby has been rehabilitating from left knee surgery he underwent three days after the regular season ended, as speculation about his status has persisted following an NFL-worst 3-14 record for the Raiders and the firing of coach Pete Carroll after just one year on the job.
Crosby said earlier this month he doesn’t want out and that the unsubstantiated reports suggesting he does make him laugh. His future with the club that drafted him in the fourth round out of Eastern Michigan in 2019 became a subject when he was placed on injured reserve with two games left against his wish, preferring to play out the season. Crosby, who has 69½ sacks in seven years, had a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 2025.
— Associated Press
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Watch: Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman speak at the NFL scouting combine
// Timestamp 02/24/26 2:03pm
New UFL rules include a four-point field goal and Tush Push ban
Andre Mintze, a Philly native and former Imhotep standout, plays for the DC Defenders.
While all eyes are on the NFL scouting combine, don’t forget about the United Football League.
In case you’d forgotten, the upstart, eight-team spring football league is the re-branded result of a merger between the XFL and USFL in 2023.
Ahead of its third season, the UFL announced some interesting new rules Tuesday, including a ban of the Tush Push, something the NFL hasn’t been able to get through.
It doesn’t look like this will be the year, either. NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said on ESPN Sunday he’s not anticipating any challenges to the Tush Bush this offseason.
“There’s no team proposal that I’ve seen from it,” McKay said. “So, I wouldn’t envision it. But you never know.”
Here is a full rundown of the UFL’s new rules. Their season begins March 27, and will feature three new teams — the Columbus Aviators, Louisville Kings, and Orlando Storm.
Four-point field goal: Any successful field goal from 60 yards or farther will now be worth four points. Regular fields goals will remain three points.
No punting rule: Punts will no longer be allowed from anyone inside an opponent’s 50-yard-line. The only exception is with less than two minutes remaining before halftime or the end of the game.
Elimination of the Tush Push: No more pushing quarterbacks from behind in the UFL.
New overtime rules: Teams will have three alternating attempts to score from the five-yard line. If the score remains tied, teams will continue to alternate attempts until a winner is determined.
‘He’s going to be a huge asset’: Dolphins head coach praises Kevin Patullo
Former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Following a Zoom interview with Kevin Patullo, new Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley was so impressed he knew he wanted to bring the former Eagles offensive coordinator down to Miami.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine, Hafley said Patullo’s knowledge goes beyond just the offense and extends to “game management” and “situational football”
“I got off the Zoom and I said to [Dolphins offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik], ‘We’ve got to try and hire this guy,’” Hafley said. “He had other opportunities and other options.”
The Dolphins indeed landed Patullo, whose brief tenure with the Eagles saw both the passing and running game regress. The Eagles’ offense finished the season ranked No. 19 in scoring and No. 24 in yards, down from No. 7 and No. 8 in those respective categories in 2024.
How long will the scouting combine remain in Indianapolis?
Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis will host the NFL scouting combine through 2028.
That’s the perennial question.
Indianapolis, which has hosted the combine since 1987, will continue as the event’s home through at least 2028, the NFL announced last month.
Despite other cities placing bids to host the event, the NFL has continued to stick with the combine’s roots. The league has also placed the desires of scouts and coaches — who enjoy the convenience of the Circle City’s downtown setup — over expanding the combine into a TV event the way the league has done with the NFL draft.
“For more than three decades, Indy has proven to be the best host city, efficiently moving prospects, team owners, coaching staff, medical personnel, and national media seamlessly through the city,” Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward said in a statement.
How does this year’s draft class stack up with the Eagles’ needs?
The NFL world is descending on Indianapolis again this week for the NFL scouting combine.
This week, 319 college football prospects will descend on Indianapolis for the annual NFL scouting combine, where they will be tested physically, mentally, and medically, interviewed by NFL front office personnel, and will speak with hundreds of media members.
This latest step in the 2026 NFL draft process allows teams to home in on the next crop of players who will fill their franchises. All 32 teams will have 45 “formal interviews,” which last just under 20 minutes, can include watching film or any questions teams want to ask a prospect, and typically take place in the Lucas Oil Stadium suites.
The first direct touch point with prospects happened at last month’s Shrine and Senior Bowl games. NFL teams will utilize this next piece of the puzzle to identify which prospects match their team needs.
Here is how we’re ranking the combine position groups from strongest to weakest. Click through to read how they could help the Eagles address some roster needs:
‘We’ll continue to move on’: What’s next after Jeff Stoutland’s surprising exit?
Jeff Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles earlier this month.
Two months after the Eagles hired Jeff Stoutland, they drafted Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Howie Roseman had his cornerstone offensive lineman, one whom Stoutland helped develop into a future Hall of Fame right tackle.
Stoutland was in the room with — and in the ear of — Roseman in the years that followed, even after the coach who hired Stoutland, Chip Kelly, left town. Stoutland survived 13 seasons and three coaching staffs in large part because he was arguably the best offensive line coach in football, but he also shared similar philosophies with Roseman.
“In 13 years, I probably couldn’t get on one hand our disagreements,” Roseman said during a session with Eagles beat writers on Friday, a few weeks after Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles. “We looked at offensive line play very similarly.”
The offensive line, which took a step back in 2025 thanks to multiple injuries, has quickly gone from a position of strength and certainty to one that may soon need to be overhauled. The Eagles have been due to draft and develop Johnson’s eventual replacement, but now they may have big holes in the interior sooner than they anticipated.
It’s a crucial offseason for Roseman to address multiple spots on the depth chart, not just the offensive line, and retooling the offensive front now comes without the help of Stoutland.
“I probably could have 50 stories on our draft process and how we went through them,” Roseman said. “I miss him. … We’ll continue to move on. I feel like we have a really good group of people here. I feel confident in our ability to evaluate, but at the same time understanding how important he was to the process of adding good players and then developing those good players.”
Falcons GM Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game in Atlanta that the team plans to release Kirk Cousins on the first day of the league year, Wednesday, March 11.
Ertz, 35, turned around his career as a reliable target for Jayden Daniels, but the tight end’s contract with the Commanders is up this season. It remains unclear whether he’ll remain in Washington or become a free agent.
The Birds have marketing rights in Brazil and played there two seasons ago, but the NFL generally avoids scheduling divisional matchups in international games (though it’s already bucking that trend with 49ers-Rams in Australia, plus the Chiefs have played the Chargers, an AFC West foe, twice on foreign soil).
There’s also London, but even though the Birds are scheduled to play a road game against the Jaguars, it seems unlikely the NFL would want to waste the ratings potential of the Eagles on a game with a 9:30 a.m. Philly kickoff.
Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman to speak more ahead of NFL scouting combine
Howie Roseman (left) and Nick Sirianni will speak to reporters Tuesday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman will speak to reporters Tuesday afternoon ahead of the scouting combine.
Roseman is slated to take the podium at 2:45 p.m., followed by Sirianni at 3 p.m.
While most of the focus will likely be on whom the Eagles might take in the upcoming NFL draft, Sirianni and Roseman will undoubtedly face questions about a host of issues, including the future of A.J. Brown.
Sirianni and Roseman spoke to Eagles reporters Friday. Here’s what they learned.
Sean Mannion will be calling plays for the first time under intense scrutiny in Philadelphia.
Nick Sirianni sat perched back in a chair with his feet up in UGG slippers. The Eagles coach looked as relaxed as he has in over a year, and certainly since a tumultuous 2025 season ended with him having to oust consigliere Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator last month.
Sirianni met with reporters at the newly named Jefferson Health Training Complex on the Friday before the NFL combine. He and general manager Howie Roseman normally answer questions with locals in Indianapolis before they hit the combine podium. But with so much change already — and more to come — the Eagles opted for the more familiar setting of their draft room to address pertinent matters about the team.
Sirianni and the more upright Roseman spoke separately, each for around 40 minutes. They tackled subjects ranging from wide receiver A.J. Brown’s uncertain future to longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s departure. But a significant portion of their availability — especially the coach’s — was spent on new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Why did Sirianni hire the inexperienced former Packers quarterbacks coach? Why was the search drawn out? How much did wanting the Shanahan-McVay offense factor into the decision? What did Sirianni like about the scheme? How much autonomy will Mannion have? How will quarterback Jalen Hurts and other returning players adapt to the new system? And how will the changes affect evaluations of Brown and future Eagles?
Sirianni was light on details — how could he not be with so many unknowns — but he and Roseman did provide enough information to allow for informed perspective on Mannion, the new scheme and what could be an inflection point for the coach, his quarterback, and the Eagles overall.
Here are 10 takeaways about the offense from Friday’s interviews:
Four players the Eagles could be watching at the NFL Scouting Combine
Will the Eagles be in position to fill a need with Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq (left) or Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor?
When evaluating NFL prospects, a player’s past performance is often the best predictor of future performance. The same can be said for the act of scouting itself.
Howie Roseman, who began serving as Eagles general manager in 2010, has an extensive draft history that can be used to project his future prospect preferences. Roseman has had personnel control during 15 draft cycles, not including 2015 when Chip Kelly was in charge of those decisions. Those 15 draft classes offer windows into Roseman’s valued traits and abilities at each position.
For years, the Eagles’ player personnel department has been gathering information about the 2026 draft class. At the scouting combine next week, Roseman and his staff will continue to learn about the scores of NFL hopefuls and determine their prospective fit within the organization.
What can the Eagles’ draft history tell us about the questions they will seek to answer about some of the top prospects at three positions of need next week?
Offensive line
Kadyn Proctor, Alabama: The 6-7, 366-pound tackle stands out for his movement skills at his hulking size. Proctor has the skill set to line up at guard, too, giving the Eagles another interior option with Lane Johnson returning for a 14th season.
Max Iheanachor, Arizona State: The 6-6, 330-pound tackle is a rawer prospect than Proctor, beginning his football career in junior college only five years ago. Iheanachor has the requisite size and quickness at the position, though, and he could continue to improve his draft stock with eye-catching numbers at the combine.
Tight end
Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon: The 20-year-old is the consensus top tight end in this year’s draft class who could come off the board within the Eagles’ range (potentially earlier) at No. 23 overall. His speed and athleticism are his strengths, and excels at making plays with the ball in his hands, which could be a benefit to the Eagles in the screen game.
Cornerback
Avieon Terrell, Clemson: The 5-11, 180-pound cornerback is relatively undersized at the position, but regardless of his size, Terrell has solidified himself among the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class with his smart instincts and competitive spirit. He also has inside-outside versatility if the Eagles ever decide to move Cooper DeJean outside full-time. If Terrell tests well at the combine, he could get his foot in the door of the late first round.
NFL salary cap getting another big increase. Here’s where the Eagles stand.
The Eagles will have to make a decision on pending free agent Dallas Goedert.
The NFL salary cap just keeps going up and up.
The 2026 NFL salary cap is projected to land somewhere between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team, a big jump from last season. At a minimum, it’s an increase of $22 million compared to 2025’s cap of $279.2 million, offering Howie Roseman and the Eagles some much-needed breathing room.
The Eagles have 21 pending free agents, including tight end Dallas Goedert, safety Reed Blankenship, linebacker Nakobe Dean, and edge rusher Jaelan Phillips.
“As for which players the Eagles will prioritize, it’s not hard to imagine them wanting to rework something with Goedert before they look elsewhere for a tight end,” Eagles beat writers Olivia Reiner and Jeff Neiburg wrote last month. Phillips will be at or near the top of the priority list, too. The Eagles are thin at edge rusher and could use an impact player like Phillips at the top of the depth chart to pair with Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith.
Princely Umanmielen (left) and Bradyn Swinson at last year’s NFL scouting combine.
Tomorrow’s potential draft picks will be on display this week in Indianapolis as the NFL scouting combine gets underway.
What once was a scouting event held far away from television cameras has morphed into one of the NFL’s tentpoles, drawing multiple days of live coverage on the NFL Network.
Compensatory picks have not yet been finalized, but the Eagles know where they’ll be picking in the first three rounds.
Currently, the Eagles have five total picks in the draft, which is slated to begin April 23 in Pittsburgh.
The Birds are also expected to receive three compensatory picks, awarded for high-profile free agency losses that include Milton Williams (Patriots), Josh Sweat (Cardinals), and Mekhi Becton (Chargers).
Over the Cap projects the Eagles will land one third-round pick (for Williams), one fourth-round pick (for Sweat), and one fifth-round pick (for Becton).
Nick Sirianni sat back in a chair with his feet up in UGG slippers. The Eagles coach looked as relaxed as he has in over a year, and certainly since a tumultuous 2025 season ended with him having to oust consigliere Kevin Patullo as offensive coordinator last month.
Sirianni met with reporters at the newly named Jefferson Health Training Complex on the Friday before the scouting combine. He and general manager Howie Roseman normally answer questions with locals in Indianapolis before they hit the combine podium. But with so much change already — and more to come — the Eagles opted for the more familiar setting of their draft room to address pertinent matters about the team.
Sirianni and the more upright Roseman spoke separately, each for around 40 minutes. They tackled subjects ranging from wide receiver A.J. Brown’s uncertain future to longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s departure. But a significant portion of their availability — especially the coach’s — was spent on new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.
Why did Sirianni hire the inexperienced former Packers quarterbacks coach? Why was the search drawn out? How much did wanting the Shanahan-McVay offense factor into the decision? What did Sirianni like about the scheme? How much autonomy will Mannion have? How will quarterback Jalen Hurts and other returning players adapt to the new system? And how will the changes affect evaluations of Brown and future Eagles?
Sirianni was light on details — how could he not be with so many unknowns? — but he and Roseman did provide enough information to allow for informed perspective on Mannion, the new scheme, and what could be an inflection point for the coach, his quarterback, and the Eagles overall. Here are 10 takeaways about the offense from Friday’s interviews:
1. The Eagles pivoted in their approach to the OC search after it became obvious that Mike McDaniel and Brian Daboll wanted to explore other opportunities.
Former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel (left) and former Giants coach Brian Daboll.
Sirianni didn’t confirm Inquirer reporting that McDaniel and Daboll were leading candidates, but he said he entered the offensive coordinator search looking for a veteran play-caller.
“I went into it … like I’d like for somebody to have some of the experience that’s done this,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, Sean has not had experience calling the plays. That, to me, was [secondary]. Like, we got into it and that kind of changed. I’m like, ‘No, this is the best guy for the job.’”
Sirianni also said he went into the process most interested in the Shanahan-McVay scheme, which would suggest that McDaniel was the primary target. Daboll comes from another system of offense, but he worked previously with Hurts at Alabama and would have checked other boxes. McDaniel went to the Chargers, while Daboll was hired by the Titans.
We’ll never know if the Eagles would have offered either McDaniel or Daboll the position, but clearly the search shifted into another phase. Sirianni said he interviewed a total of 17 candidates and that seven reached the second round. Only four of the final seven names — Josh Grizzard, Jim Bob Cooter, Jerrod Johnson, and Mannion — became public.
Mannion’s first interview was virtual, while the second was in person. Sirianni said that once he got him in the building, it confirmed his initial impression that the 33-year-old former quarterback was the guy for the job even though he had never called plays.
“What I was really looking for was the detail in which everything was explained to me, because the detail is so critical, conviction on what they believed and why they believed in it, and the vision and conviction of that how they went about it,” Sirianni said. “Like, OK, you haven’t called plays, but how do you go about thinking about calling plays in this particular area, like the vision for the offense, the vision and the conviction for how you would call it?”
2. Sirianni led the search and made the final decision — a fact that was made abundantly clear.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni listens to questions from media members with general manager Howie Roseman on Jan. 15.
Roseman, who touted Sirianni’s credentials as a CEO-type coach last month, made light of outside perception that he and owner Jeffrey Lurie hold strings over a powerless Sirianni when asked why he made those unprompted comments.
“Hold the strings, like during the games?” Roseman said. “Am I in his ear?”
Roseman, of course, remains one of the more entrenched figures in his position after two Super Bowl titles and 10 playoff appearances in 16 seasons as GM. He has final say over both the 90- and 53-man rosters and his influence with Lurie also can’t be overstated.
Roseman is also one of the most resourceful executives in the NFL. He helped Sirianni identify Mannion as a budding prospect.
“As you talk to people around the league, and they described him and his future, it became somebody that we really felt like we needed to talk to,” Roseman said. “It’s just his name kept coming up as we were doing things and as we were talking about the way that we were kind of moving from an offensive perspective.”
Sirianni, who spoke before Roseman, talked about a collaborative approach but identified himself as the “point man” in the search.
“The coaches that we bring in here always going to fall on me, right?” Sirianni said. “And I have to make those final decisions.”
Were the Eagles powers-that-be trying to empower their coach in giving him ownership over the coaching changes, or were they distancing themselves from the moves? Maybe only Lurie and Roseman can answer that question.
3. The Eagles are hoping Mannion will be the offensive coordinator version of Sirianni.
Nick Sirianni’s 2021 hire was an outside-the-box choice. Is Sean Mannion another diamond-in-the-rough choice?
The Eagles have had unprecedented success under Sirianni. They have a Super Bowl MVP in Hurts. They have Pro Bowl-caliber offensive players at multiple spots. And yet, there were rumblings that some OC candidates didn’t consider the job as desirable as other vacancies.
While previous coordinators Shane Steichen and Kellen Moore parlayed winning into promotions, Brian Johnson and Patullo were out after just one season at the helm. The position comes with both internal and external pressures. There’s also a question of Sirianni’s permanence in Philly and how Hurts has factored into coordinator turnover.
The Bears’ Declan Doyle, for instance, declined an interview request and reportedly told the Eagles he was staying in Chicago, even though he doesn’t call plays. Not long after, he took the offensive coordinator job with the Ravens, although it should be noted that he will work under defensive-minded coach Jesse Minter in Baltimore.
“All that really matters,” Sirianni said, “is the guy that you end up picking for the job and his excitement and willingness to be there.”
Sirianni might feel some kinship with Mannion, who didn’t interview for any of the other 14 coordinator openings this offseason. Sirianni, too, was an under-the-radar choice who surfaced late in the process when the Eagles tabbed him to be coach.
While Mannion had no other bites this offseason, like Sirianni five years ago, it doesn’t mean he won’t pan out.
4. It was the Shanahan-McVay scheme that led the Eagles to Mannion.
The schematic principles favored by Sean McVay (left) and Kyle Shanahan held increasing appeal for Nick Sirianni as he went through the OC process.
Sirianni interviewed coaches with backgrounds and experience in various offenses, but one scheme stood out more than others.
“It was in my forefront of my mind to say, ‘I’m interested in this,’” Sirianni said of the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay scheme. “But I didn’t necessarily say, ‘I have to have this.’ And then as the process went forward that’s where I kind of got to with that.”
The Shanahan-McVay system is often run-based that utilizes a wide-zone blocking scheme. It often marries the run with the pass through under-center play action. It features motion and misdirection. And it uses all the above to create space in the passing game for easy reads, yards after the catch, and explosive plays downfield.
While there were some commonalities between Sirianni’s and Moore’s schemes which allowed for a relatively easy transition, and maybe prevented the latter from fully implementing his offense, the Shanahan-McVay system is significantly different than Sirianni’s on early downs.
“Third down, red zone, backed up, four-minute [offenses] — a lot of those things are pretty similar in the thought process of people,” Sirianni said. “It’s the first- and second-down run, play action where people are a lot different and have different philosophies. And … that’s where I see just it’s going to be a little bit of a change there, but we’ve got good players.”
5. Improving the run game was paramount in choosing the new coordinator and scheme.
Could a Saquon Barkley renaissance be in store in the new Eagles offense?
There’s no question the Eagles’ passing offense was substandard and there needs to be more sophistication in the operation. But when Sirianni’s teams have had their greatest successes, it’s been behind a dominant running attack.
The Eagles were bound to face challenges after Saquon Barkley’s historic campaign in 2024. Injuries on the offensive line didn’t help matters. But when opponents devoted their efforts to stopping the run with increased numbers in the box, the Eagles struggled to adjust and make defenses pay through the air.
Sirianni equated how the Shanahan-McVay rushing offense handles defensive intricacies with how some passing offenses have adapted to modern coverages.
“You’ve seen a lot of teams that have done things where they’re reading pure progressions to handle all the junk that is being thrown at you by the defense,” he said. “This version of the run game is kind of in that mix, as well. It’s the run-game version of it.
“There’s a lot of junk that’s being thrown at you. This handles a lot of it.”
6. The run-blocking scheme changes were probably the chief reason Stoutland resigned.
Jeff Stoutland’s O-line alignment principles would not have meshed easily with Sean Mannion’s scheme.
The most significant change in the running game will come with the offensive line. The preferred wide-zone blocking scheme of the Shanahan-McVay offense is much different than the mid-zone scheme Jeff Stoutland employed with the Eagles for 13 seasons.
Stoutland was also the run game coordinator since 2018, but the alteration meant that he wouldn’t have returned in that role. Sirianni confirmed that he wanted Stoutland back, although the 64-year-old assistant would have had to teach his O-linemen a new run-blocking technique.
At its most elemental, wide-zone blocking has offensive linemen fire off the ball and block at an angle to create cutback running lanes. Mid-zone blocking has O-linemen more under control, perhaps required to win more at the point of attack and shuffle in their assignments.
One is not better than the other, they’re just different. The Eagles think their returning O-lineman can block in any scheme, but there will be an adjustment. The change could benefit an athletic center like Cam Jurgens, or it could hinder a cinder block like left guard Landon Dickerson.
“Will there be maybe a little bit more emphasis on movement and athleticism?” Roseman said. “Maybe a click. Maybe.”
Roseman was talking about how the new scheme may affect his evaluations in the upcoming draft. Right tackle Lane Johnson is returning for a 14th season, but the Eagles could be searching for his successor.
Stoutland was as involved as any coach in the pre-draft process and through his prioritization of “critical factors” helped the Eagles land Johnson, Dickerson, Jurgens, and left tackle Jordan Mailata, a former rugby player.
“We’re looking for a lot of the same things,” Roseman said, “with a lot of the same — a shout-out to Stout — critical factors that we’ve always been looking for.”
7. Hurts may actually run even less in the new offense.
Jalen Hurts might run less in the Sean Mannion scheme.
Hurts’ history with different offensive coordinators and play callers dating back to college is a fact that has been repeated so frequently at this point it’s almost not worth mentioning, especially for a quarterback entering his seventh NFL season.
He has admitted that having first-year success with Moore should give the discourse less meaning. The scheme has also been relatively similar during the Sirianni-Hurts partnership. There has been a natural progression with his coaches asking him to do a little more under center, off play action, and with motion.
“He’s shown that he can do all these things,” Sirianni said. “I think what’s awesome about Jalen is he’s shown he can do a lot of things really well. … The great thing about great players is they can usually fit to any scheme.”
And yet, the Eagles have never majored in any of the above. Was that on Sirianni and his coordinators, or was it on Hurts? How much did Stoutland’s preferred run scheme prevent the offense from evolving? All of the above were likely factors.
Whatever the answer, change is coming. Hurts should be on board, especially if he wants to run less and desires more schemed-up layups in the passing game. With less shotgun, there won’t be as many designed quarterback run opportunities.
It remains to be seen whether less of Hurts on the ground is a good thing. It wasn’t last season. There are ways to incorporate some quarterback runs into the Shanahan-McVay scheme, but there will likely be fewer zone reads and run-pass option plays.
8. Sirianni left plenty of wiggle room for carryover from the previous offense.
Nick Sirianni will continue to have a voice on offense, as he has had in all previous iterations of the attack.
While some Sirianni critics may have short attention spans, he has presided over an offense that has often been among the best in the league. And in winning a Super Bowl last year he was able to retain some of the better parts of his scheme and incorporate it with Moore’s.
He said the same will happen with Mannion.
“I think that some of the things that you can sprinkle in from the things that we’ve done, it’ll just be a good mesh of different things,” Sirianni said. “You want to have something that you can [hang] your hat, which I think that we’ve always had, but then adapt that to different things that your players do well.”
The best coaches scheme to their players’ skill sets. In 2021 and 2024, the Eagles installed pass-based offenses before switching at midseason to feature the run. Some of that had to do with Hurts’ limitations as a dropback passer, but also to emphasize his mobility, a dominant O-line, and Barkley.
It would be foolish for Sirianni to commit to anything, although the Shanahan-McVay offense will initially be the scheme the Eagles hang their hats on. But there won’t be a complete whitewash.
“Its ever-evolving,” Sirianni said. “Shoot, you might end up saying, ‘Hey, I wanted to be an outside zone team, but it looks like we’re going to be a little bit more of a gap team, or vice versa, right?’ And it could be the same with, ‘Hey, I wanted to be a little bit more play action, but it looks like we’re going to be a little bit more naked and move the pocket and stuff like that.’”
Mannion won’t have autonomy like defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. How could he with no experience? The offensive-minded Sirianni will obviously be involved at some level. But he wants Mannion to ultimately be responsible for running the offense.
“I know that the most important thing that I need to do is be the head football coach of the football team, not the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Sirianni said. “I need to be the head football coach in charge of everything. It’s setting that vision, all the different things that go into it.
“But I’ve had a lot of experience in putting together an offense, so I’m here as a resource for him in that aspect.”
9. Mannion will work closely with Hurts.
Sean Mannion’s experience as an NFL quarterback could help ease communication with Jalen Hurts.
Mannion’s pedigree as a quarterback played some role in his hiring. Hurts had his best seasons under former quarterbacks in Steichen and Moore. Mannion has been credited with assisting the development of Packers starter Jordan Love and the reclamation of backup Malik Willis.
Hurts has a strong personality, so it’s no guarantee that Mannion’s playing experience or his relative youth will translate to a harmonious relationship. That could go in any direction. But Mannion’s former teammates and coaches have been unanimous in their praise of how he comports himself.
As for Hurts’ actual position coach, the Eagles opted to move pass game coordinator Parks Frazier to quarterbacks coach and let Scot Loeffler go. Sirianni said he wanted some continuity, but also pointed to Frazier’s one season working in the Shanahan-McVay scheme with the Dolphins under McDaniel.
Grizzard offered Sirianni the chance to keep a runner-up for the job who also has experience in the system and one year of play-calling under his belt. While he could be viewed as a backup if Mannion struggles, the Eagles were likely more focused on having an in-house replacement to guard against what happened after Steichen and Moore left.
New tight ends coach/run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey and offensive line coach Chris Kuper were Mannion hires and will be instrumental in installing the new wide zone blocking scheme.
10. The new scheme probably won’t increase the likelihood that Brown wants to stay in Philly.
Change is coming to the Eagles offense, but it’s not necessarily the kind of change that will make A.J. Brown happier.
Roseman will ultimately do what’s best for the team even if Brown no longer wants to be an Eagle. Brown has expressed his love for Philly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants to return if the passing game is going to remain secondary.
Brown could envision a scenario in which the Shanahan-McVay scheme improves Hurts as a thrower and gives the receiver opportunities to use his skills after the catch. But if the running game remains the focus, he may not get the targets he desires.
Replacing Brown wouldn’t be easy, even if receiver DeVonta Smith has a more prominent role. The free-agent market is light at the position. And while the draft is said to be deep, there are few Day 1 starters at receiver. The Eagles also have other needs.
Roseman may need to replace all three of his top tight ends with Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson slated for free agency. The Shanahan-McVay scheme favors hybrid tight ends who can run-block.
“I would say that the tight-end position starts with me in evolving,” Roseman said. “I think that from my perspective, I’ve always had an affinity for kind of the receiving tight ends. I think that that’s shown in my work.”
It certainly showed this past season. Goedert, Calcaterra, and Granson were detrimental to the running game. They weren’t the only ones.
Two months after the Eagles hired Jeff Stoutland, they drafted Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Howie Roseman had his cornerstone offensive lineman, one whom Stoutland helped develop into a future Hall of Fame right tackle.
Stoutland was in the room with — and in the ear of — Roseman in the years that followed, even after the coach who hired Stoutland, Chip Kelly, left town. Stoutland survived 13 seasons and three coaching staffs in large part because he was arguably the best offensive line coach in football, but he also shared similar philosophies with Roseman.
“In 13 years, I probably couldn’t get on one hand our disagreements,” Roseman said during a session with Eagles beat writers on Friday, a few weeks after Stoutland announced his departure from the Eagles. “We looked at offensive line play very similarly.”
The Eagles, with Stoutland as offensive line coach, consistently had one of the best units in the league, and the two Eagles teams that won Super Bowls did so behind dominant offensive line play. But change is on the way, not just along the offensive line but for the offense as a whole. The Eagles have a new coordinator, Sean Mannion, and multiple new coaches working under him, including new offensive line coach Chris Kuper.
The line, meanwhile, is at a somewhat critical juncture. Johnson, who missed half of last season, turns 36 in May and didn’t decide until last week to make his return for the 2026 season official. It’s unclear how much longer Landon Dickerson, a second-round pick in 2021 whom Stoutland developed into a three-time Pro Bowler, will play football. The 27-year-old has undergone multiple surgeries since college and played through an abundance of pain in 2025. Cam Jurgens, 26, whom the Eagles drafted in the second round in 2022 to replace Jason Kelce, recently flew to Colombia to receive stem cell treatments, apparently to help deal with the lingering impacts of a back injury and subsequent pain that limited his effectiveness in 2025.
The Eagles offensive line will enter 2026 with questions about its health and ability to adjust to a new coaching regime.
The offensive line, which took a step back in 2025 thanks to those injuries, has quickly gone from a position of strength and certainty to one that may soon need to be overhauled. The Eagles have been due to draft and develop Johnson’s eventual replacement, but now they may have big holes in the interior sooner than they anticipated. It’s a crucial offseason for Roseman to address multiple spots on the depth chart, not just the offensive line, and retooling the offensive front now comes without the help of Stoutland.
“I probably could have 50 stories on our draft process and how we went through them,” Roseman said. “I miss him. … We’ll continue to move on. I feel like we have a really good group of people here. I feel confident in our ability to evaluate, but at the same time understanding how important he was to the process of adding good players and then developing those good players.”
The interviews with Roseman and Nick Sirianni last week offered the general manager and head coach their first chances to comment publicly on Stoutland’s exit and respond to some of the reporting that happened surrounding it.
The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported that Stoutland, who was also the run game coordinator, had his influence on the running game lessened during the season last year. And while the Eagles wanted to keep Stoutland in the building as the offensive line coach, he likely wasn’t going to keep the run game coordinator title. Plus, Mannion is bringing with him a new scheme that would change some of the things Stoutland has been teaching.
Sirianni said he doesn’t “get too wrapped up into what’s reported.” The head coach was more involved in all phases of the offense throughout this past season as it sputtered under first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo, Sirianni said, including the running game.
“We still went about our process the same,” Sirianni said. “There was obviously different things that we did and a different process in the sense of we were all together doing it in there. … Stout still had a lot of ideas. It’s always been collaborative in everything that we’ve done here.”
Eagles center Cam Jurgens with offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland after the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders in December.
There was, perhaps, even more collaboration when Sirianni made changes last season. Rather than having separate pass pods and run pods, the units worked together, especially when the offense shifted to some more under-center looks and worked in play-action calls. Sirianni said he anticipates more of the same under Mannion.
It’s unclear what the Mannion offense will look like, but while the 33-year-old has never been a play-caller, he has tentacles of influence from offenses run by Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, and Kyle Shanahan. As it relates to the running game, that means more outside zone concepts as opposed to the inside zone runs more prevalent with the Eagles in recent years.
The offensive coaching staff Sirianni assembled under Mannion comes from various backgrounds, and the scheme will likely be a mix of different ideas, all of which are still coming together as the Eagles begin assembling the 2026 roster in earnest. Sirianni noted that things like third-down offense, red-zone offense, and four-minute offense may look pretty similar. It’s the first- and second-down runs and play actions that may look a lot different.
For the offensive line, there will likely be big changes to blocking assignments and strategies.
“Good players can play and fit in many different schemes,” Sirianni said when asked how big of an adjustment the line will face. “I know how good of players we have there at the position, and I know if we asked them to do the Navy triple option they’d be good at that. I do think it translates there. Obviously there’s always going to be [a] learning curve of everything, but that’s what your OTAs are for, that’s what your offseason’s for, that’s what your training camp is for, to get yourself ready for that.”
All of it will come with a new voice, Kuper’s, in charge. Stoutland was revered in the offensive line room.
Chris Kuper will bring eight years of experience as an NFL offensive lineman to the Eagles coaching staff.
“Obviously we wanted him to stay and be involved in this … I don’t want to say rebuild … reclassification, however you want to say it,” Sirianni said of Stoutland. “At the end of the day, Stout got to where he was and I obviously wish him the best and am going to deeply miss him because he’s done so many things that have helped us throughout his time here.
“Just like you always want good players around, you always want good coaches around.”
Ultimately, it will be the players who decide the trajectory of the offensive line moving forward.
While Roseman and Stoutland’s success stories are plenty, there have been a few misses. The biggest success story, turning Jordan Mailata from a 2018 seventh-round rugby-playing project into an All-Pro, helped offset missing on Andre Dillard in the first round in 2019.
Dillard’s selection was the last time the Eagles used their first-round pick on an offensive lineman. That could change in April. Roseman expressed confidence that Johnson, Dickerson, and Jurgens still have “incredible ability to affect our football team going forward,” but the Eagles are surely planning for the future.
“Is it a priority position? Always,” Roseman said.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman expressed that improving the offensive line is an ongoing priority.
As the roster stands, there are no obvious replacements for the injured and older trio of linemen. Johnson’s spot would be the obvious priority in the short-term future. Swing tackle Fred Johnson is a free agent. The only tackles on the roster behind Johnson and Mailata slated to be in camp this summer are last year’s sixth-round picks, Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams; Hollin Pierce, who was on the practice squad last season; and John Ojukwu, who went undrafted in 2023 and accumulated 428 offensive snaps with the Tennessee Titans over the last three seasons.
The interior isn’t much deeper. The Eagles drafted center Drew Kendall in the fifth round last season, then claimed Willie Lampkin off waivers after camp. Practice squad member Jake Majors was re-signed to a futures deal after the season. Kendall saw limited action as a rookie and Lampkin spent the season on injured reserve.
The Eagles need reinforcements. They also need to plan for 2027 and beyond.
“You’ve got to have continual depth at that position, good depth, guys who can play at a high level, and you’ve got to develop guys at that position,” Roseman said. “We’re always trying to balance that, what we have now and what we’re looking for going forward. When we’re building an offensive line, we’re not just saying, ‘We’ve got five starters, we’re good to go.’ We’re looking at the depth behind those guys, guys who can play, because in all our best years we’ve had to have guys step in and play for a long period of time.”
For the first time in 13 years, they’ll navigate it all without Stoutland.
As he made the rounds at Super Bowl Radio Row two weeks ago, A.J. Brown didn’t sound like a player ready to demand a trade out of Philadelphia. But Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman — even while praising Brown — don’t seem willing to shut the door on any possibilities surrounding the 28-year-old receiver.
At their annual pre-combine news conference with local writers on Friday, both Sirianni and Roseman were directly asked whether Brown would be back with the Eagles next season. While both expressed their affinity for Brown as a player and a person, neither outright said that he will definitely return.
“I can’t guarantee how anything’s going to play out into next season,” Sirianni said. “I can’t guarantee that, I mean, I’m thinking I’m going to be the head coach next season, but you can’t guarantee anything past tomorrow.”
Still, neither Sirianni nor Roseman indicated the Eagles were actively shopping Brown. After stating his inability to speak definitively about Brown’s future, Sirianni referenced the response given by Roseman in January following the team’s wild-card exit, when he was asked if he was open to trading Brown.
Roseman said at the time, “It is hard to find great players in the NFL and A.J.’s a great player. I think from my perspective, that’s what we’re going out and looking for when we go out here in free agency and in the draft is trying to find great players who love football, and he’s that guy.”
On Friday, Sirianni echoed Roseman’s remarks, calling Brown a “great player,” a “good teammate,” and a “good person.” The sixth-year Eagles head coach said he wants Brown in Philadelphia and he believes the receiver wants to stay, too.
Roseman also reiterated his January response, repeating that “it’s really hard to find great players” and “A.J. is a great player.”
“I think that from my perspective, we’re looking to improve in all areas, and you don’t do that by subtracting,” Roseman continued.
Howie Roseman (left) and Nick Sirianni did not shut the door on the possibility that A.J. Brown could be moved this offseason.
But the Eagles wouldn’t be giving up Brown — or any player under contract — without a return. The new league year begins March 11 at 4 p.m., marking the beginning of free agency and the trading period. In the next two weeks, prospective suitors could put together trade packages to persuade Roseman that he wouldn’t be subtracting from his roster by parting ways with any of his players, Brown included.
When asked if he would go into the new league year listening to offers on Brown specifically, Roseman gave a general response about all of his players, not just the star receiver.
“I think you go into the league year listening to offers for everything and anything,” Roseman said. “I don’t think that you can go into any conversation with anyone and just shoot things down without hearing what they have to say, because you never know. You never know on any player.
“If someone’s going to give you something that you didn’t anticipate and you won’t even have the conversation, I don’t think you’re necessarily doing your job or really servicing the team that you’re with. You never know what someone’s willing to do. Certainly, we’ve been in situations where there are guys that we didn’t anticipate trading, that we got an offer that was too good, and then you balance it with what you can get there.”
Howie Roseman dealt a disgruntled Carson Wentz (left) in 2021, offering some precedent for a Brown move.
Ultimately, Roseman wields the power to add or subtract personnel from the roster as he sees fit. How do player desires factor into the equation? The 50-year-old general manager previously jettisoned a highly-paid player with frustrations surrounding his role with the team when he traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021.
Every situation is unique. Earlier in the season, Brown voiced his displeasure with the offense and his role within it on multiple occasions, both in conversations with the media and through various online forums, from his own social media accounts to a Twitch livestream.
Brown’s frustrations were seemingly validated to some extent, as the offense never reversed course from its season-long skid on the heels of a Super Bowl win the year before. But while speaking publicly for the first time in two months on Micah Parsons’ podcast during Super Bowl week, Brown appeared optimistic when asked about the new-look offensive coaching staff headlined by offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, saying, “I’m excited for the season. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
He noted that “sometimes change is not a bad thing.” Brown also reflected on his trade to the Eagles in 2022, saying that “Philly welcomed me with open arms” and calling the city his home.
Sirianni and Roseman were asked about Brown’s desire to remain with the Eagles. While Sirianni said his “expectation” is that Brown wants to be in Philadelphia, Roseman adhered to his standard protocol of declining to reveal the details of his conversations with any player.
Roseman also spoke generally when asked how a player’s personal wishes impact his decision to execute a trade.
“I think that any trade that we’ve made, we’ve done because we felt it was the right thing to do for the Philadelphia Eagles,” Roseman said. “I can’t remember any time that I’ve done anything that when I did it, I didn’t think was in the best interest of the team. It’s always going to be about the team. It’s always going to be about our players. If I start doing things that are about individuals as opposed to the team, I’m not doing my job.”
Jordan Davis (left) and Jalen Carter could both be candidates for extensions this offseason.
Extensions incoming?
Brown’s future is just one piece of the Eagles’ roster-building puzzle this offseason. Roseman also must decide which key players will be part of the Eagles’ long-term plan, especially as young defensive standouts such as Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Moro Ojomo become eligible for extensions.
Davis, 26, and Ojomo, 24, are headed into the final years of their rookie contracts. Carter, 24, and Smith, 25, could have their fifth-year options exercised this offseason. Roseman could attempt to sign any of those players to team-friendly extensions early and prevent them from eventually testing the open market.
Additionally, Jalen Hurts could be a candidate for an extension. The 27-year-old quarterback is set to account for a team-high 10.1% of the Eagles’ salary cap in 2026, according to Over The Cap. An extension could lower that figure, giving Roseman more space to sign and extend others in the immediate future.
While Roseman declined to go into specifics about the contracts for all five players, he emphasized his longstanding philosophy of retaining homegrown players.
“Everything that we’re trying to do here is build sustained success,” Roseman said. “And how do you do that? … You’ve got to draft well, and then hopefully you’re re-signing and extending your own players, and you’re sprinkling on top additions. That’s going to be the priority for us.
“We have a lot of good players here that are going to come up this year, next year, and we’re going to try to keep as many as we can and continue to try to improve the team and understanding that there’s probably not a scenario where every single one of them can stay here.”
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips is a pending free agent who won praise from Howie Roseman after being obtained as a rental at the trade deadline last year.
Free-agent Phillips?
Jaelan Phillips isn’t one of those homegrown players. Roseman acquired him at the trade deadline from the Miami Dolphins at a premium for a player on an expiring contract, giving up a 2026 third-round pick.
Still, he is one of the major dominoes that could dictate the trajectory of the Eagles’ offseason moves. At 26 years old, Phillips is arguably the best edge rusher in the free-agent class and he is likely set for a hefty pay raise in the coming weeks.
Roseman has plenty of criteria to consider before deciding whether he would attempt to woo Phillips back to Philadelphia. With any player, Roseman said he factors in character, medical history, level of play, age, and scheme fit when considering a potential extension.
The trade of a third-round pick isn’t one of those factors. Roseman said he gave up what he thought was necessary to acquire a player to help the Eagles compete for a championship last season.
Even though the Eagles didn’t reach the pinnacle, their rental of Phillips gave them a positive, hands-on experience with a player they’ve held in high regard, which could influence their desire to try to retain him.
“Obviously, we do a lot of work on these players coming out, and we knew what kind of person Jaelan Phillips was from the time we spent with him in the pre-draft process, and it was confirmed throughout our time with him in Philadelphia,” Roseman said. “Unbelievable worker, unbelievable leader, incredibly talented player who cares desperately about winning.”
Howie Roseman acknowledged that his affinity for receiving tight ends, including Grant Calcaterra (left) and Dallas Goedert, might have limited the Eagles as a blocking team last season.
Transforming the tight end corps
Like Phillips, Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra, and Kylen Granson are set to become free agents at the start of the new league year. With the offense charting a new course under Mannion, Roseman also could take a new direction with the team’s tight ends.
Last year’s group was deficient in blocking prowess. The 31-year-old Goedert has typically been a more well-rounded weapon, but he took a step back in the blocking game this past season. He was more effective as a red-zone threat, scoring 10 of his career-high 11 touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Calcaterra and Granson were most impactful when contributing as receivers, too.
Any of those players could theoretically return on new deals, but Roseman still expressed a need to expand the skill sets within the corps.
“I would say that the tight end position starts with me in evolving,” Roseman said. “I think that, from my perspective, I’ve always had an affinity for kind of the receiving tight ends. I think that’s shown in my work.
“You’ve got to be cognizant of the fact that at some levels, the game has changed. And so there’s certainly room for both of those spots. I think when you look at our room this year, probably needed more of a diverse skill set at that position.”
Could Tanner McKee be an attractive trade option for teams given the uninspiring draft and free-agent classes at QB?
McKee’s market
It’s a bad year to be a quarterback-needy team. This year’s draft class is relatively thin after Fernando Mendoza, the likely first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. The top quarterback set to become a free agent is Malik Willis, the Green Bay Packers backup who has started six games over the course of his four-year career.
The trade market might be the most viable solution for teams to address their quarterback needs. Could Tanner McKee draw interest? The 25-year-old backup quarterback has one year left on his rookie deal.
McKee has had strong preseason outings and acquitted himself well in both Week 18 starts over the last two years. If teams believe he has QB1 potential, his market could materialize at the start of the new league year.
“I can’t speak to what everyone else thinks of our players,” Roseman said. “I know what we think of our players. That’s always been a position that we’ve put a great deal of priority on, to have a backup quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, and we have a lot of confidence in him.”
Roseman reiterated the stance he took when asked about listening to offers for Brown.
“My job is to listen to anything about anyone,” Roseman said. “Whether I pull the trigger is a totally different story.”
The Tush Push was thetopic of discussion last offseason. Will the Eagles’ signature play get banned or will it live to see another season?
The play seemed destined to be outlawed — of course, we know how that ended, thanks at least in part to an impassioned speech from Jason Kelce at the NFL owners meetings. But the drama continued into the regular season, as referees officiated the play differently, sparking new controversies that had little to do with the “player safety” concerns that almost eliminated the Birds’ quarterback sneak from the game.
But now, for a variety of reasons, the discourse around the play has seemingly died down. And nobody is attempting to ban the play — at least not yet.
Over the last several years, the Tush Push faced criticism from other teams around the league, but last year was the first time a formal proposal was made to ban the play. That proposal came from the Green Bay Packers, who mentioned player safety and pace of play as their reasons behind the attempted rule change.
The proposal needed at least 24 votes from the 32 owners to ban the play, but it fell two votes short. Despite how close the vote came last season, NFL competition committee co-chairman Rich McKay said he’s not anticipating another team to pick up where Green Bay left off.
“There’s no team proposal that I’ve seen from it,” McKay told ESPN. “So, I wouldn’t envision it. But you never know.”
The Eagles ran the Tush Push half a dozen times against the Chiefs in their 20-17 win in Kansas City.
Of course, there’s still time to file a proposal ahead of this year’s annual league meeting, which will take place at the end of March. But as of now, there has been no movement surrounding the play.
“The reason no one’s talking about it is because the play wasn’t as successful this year,” Jason McCourty said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “Defenses caught up. They figured out ways to stop it. We watched Jalen Hurts lose a fumble on the Tush Push. So now going forward, there’s multiple teams that do it now, but defenses and teams, they aren’t as passionate about it because they’re like, ‘You know what? We’ve gone back, we’ve watched the film, and we’ve figured out different avenues to stop this play.’
“So it no longer is all the nonsense that we’ve seen over the last few years where the Eagles were absolutely dominant at scoring with.”
While the Eagles mastered the Tush Push for its first three years, making it look nearly unstoppable, they took a major step back in 2025.
In 2022, with opposing defenses never having seen the play before, the Tush Push debuted to a 92.3% success rate. The following season, teams started to adjust, and the play’s success dipped to 83.3% as the Eagles rode it to a Super Bowl berth. That conversion rate stayed relatively consistent the following year, even without Kelce under center, with the play remaining successful 79.6% of the time, according to tushpush.fyi, a Tush Push tracking site run by an Eagles fan.
However, the Eagles struggled with the Tush Push last season, converting 21 of their 33 attempts for a 63.6% success rate. That was well below the league average of 73.8%. And while the Eagles attempted the play more than any other team — they accounted for nearly 25% of all attempts last season — they converted at a lower rate than each of the other four teams that ran the Tush Push at least 10 times, all of which had voted to ban the play.
* — Ran the play with a tight end, not a quarterback
One of the reasons the Eagles converted at a lower rate in 2025 was that league officials raised their level of scrutiny on the play, calling more penalties against the Birds after slow-motion clips of the play appeared to show the Eagles offensive line moving before the ball was snapped.
With the Eagles’ Tush Push no longer as dominant as it once was, and after years of offseason debate, it looks like the discussion surrounding the play is finally dead — for now.
The offseason is about to blast into full swing and, unlike this time a year ago, the Eagles are surrounded by question marks. On the heels of the team’s failed bid for another Super Bowl, coaching changes ensued, which are expected to usher in a significant philosophical pivot on offense. But with next week’s scouting combine approaching, the Eagles, along with the rest of the NFL, will start to focus more on personnel decisions. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane has covered plenty of combines, and knows where and how to dig up juicy intel. He and Inquirer colleague David Murphy examine Eagles storylines that figure to be front and center when the league descends on Indianapolis.
00:00 Getting gossip at the NFL’s biggest power broker mixer of the year
02:36 Forecasting A.J. Brown’s future
13:34 Which Eagles free agents could stay, go
20:55 Contract extensions and their implications on the defensive line
29:45 Diving into Sean Mannion and his scheme
37:01 How much will the Eagles change the offense?
44:20 Closing the book on Jeff Stoutland’s exit, Chris Kuper’s hiring
unCovering the Birds is a production of The Philadelphia Inquirer and KYW Newsradio Original Podcasts. Look for new episodes throughout the season, including day-after-game reactions.
You never know how Jeffrey Lurie sees his team, but, after two Super Bowl trips and two post-Super Bowl disasters, it feels more than ever like there’s a one-year window in which Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts can save their jobs in Philadelphia.
Their chances got a lot better Thursday.
That’s when The Inquirer reported that right tackle Lane Johnson, arguably the greatest Eagle ever and inarguably the greatest Eagles offensive lineman, would return for a 14th season. The Birds are 110-57-1 with Johnson, 18-27 without. He’s the only Eagle on either offense or defense to start in both of their Super Bowl wins. Johnson considered retirement after missing the last seven games with a foot injury and after offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland resigned.
Thursday also was when both The Inquirer and former Eagles TV reporter Derrick Gunn reported that left guard Landon Dickerson, whose body has endured multiple injuries beginning in college, will return for a sixth season. Before this season, Dickerson was voted onto the three previous Pro Bowl teams.
Despite his frustrations with health issues Landon Dickerson is planning to return for the 2026 season … per source.
There has been a lot of noise since the Eagles’ season ended a month ago: A.J. Brown’s dissatisfaction; the firing of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo; the tortuous pursuit of his replacement, who turned out to be little-known Sean Mannion; and the possibility of losing defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to retirement.
None of those issues mattered as much as the possible loss of Johnson and Dickerson.
Replacing either of them would have been difficult.
Replacing both would have been catastrophic.
That’s because Hurts has shown little capacity for success in the NFL unless he plays behind an elite offensive line. When the Eagles went to Super Bowls after the 2022 and 2024 seasons, the offensive lines were elite and stable. They were markedly less so in 2023 and 2025, seasons in which the Eagles lost their first playoff game.
Not coincidentally, Sirianni’s offenses have flourished when Johnson, Dickerson, & Co. have been healthy and wisely utilized, relying on a turnover-averse run-first attack.
Eagles guard Landon Dickerson blocks Detroit Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes.
When healthy, Johnson and Dickerson, both athletic freaks, are voracious run-blockers.
An ancillary benefit of Johnson returning relates to the departure of Stoutland. “Stout” is the only offensive line coach Johnson has ever had in the NFL; for that matter, that’s true of every other Eagles starter.
But no other Eagles lineman has either the base of knowledge or capacity to impart that knowledge on teammates like Johnson. He founded and runs an annual offensive line offseason camp every summer in Texas called OL Masterminds.
Almost every lineman that has ever played with him testifies that Johnson has, at some point, acted as a sort of assistant coach when Stoutland or his offensive line assistants weren’t fully able to get their message across.
More than anything, Johnson brings a level of intensity and professionalism to every game and practice that few others in the NFL can match. It is why he is great, and that sort of greatness is contagious. Certainly, Dickerson has benefited.
So, their return not only could save the 2026 season, but it also could extend the Philadelphia shelf-life of both coach and quarterback.
Granted, there are contingents of fans and pundits who would rather that either one or both leave the employ of Lurie sooner than later, and so this development on the offensive line might not be met with unrestrained joy.
But one never should be thankless for news that is, on the whole, good for their own self-interests.
Ever since Jason Kelce belted out “No one likes us, we don’t care” at the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl parade, the chant, with its origins in soccer, has become a staple of Philadelphia sports fandom. Whether they are liked or not, there appears to be a respect for Eagles fans, and recently, opposing players like Maxx Crosby and George Kittle have come out and praised them. The latest? NFC East rival Jayden Daniels.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated earlier this month, Daniels, the Washington Commanders quarterback, compared games at Lincoln Financial Field to a college football-like atmosphere.
“I love Eagles fans,” Daniels, an LSU alumnus, told SI. “I mean, they just embody what Philly brings, and to be able to go out there and play against them, it’s kind of just that their environment is the closest thing you can get to a college environment.”
Daniels has played two seasons in the NFL, and has faced the Eagles twice at the Linc. His first was a 36-33 victory in December 2024, but just over a month later, Daniels and the Commanders were routed by the Eagles, 55-23, in the NFC championship game. He missed this past season’s game at the Linc due to injury, but his backup, Josh Johnson, was also excited to play in front of Eagles fans — even if he suffered some past trauma in South Philly.
“It’s awesome,” Johnson, who was knocked out of the 2023 NFC championship game against the Eagles with a serious concussion that forced a hospital stay, told reporters before this year’s regular-season finale. “We get to go into the lion’s den. I love it. I wouldn’t change it.”
Jayden Daniels was sacked three times in the Eagles’ NFC championship win over the Commanders.
Some players don’t just like the environment, they use it for extra motivation. Daniels is one of them.
“Yeah, for sure,” Daniels said when asked if Eagles fans bring him extra motivation. “If you can go out there and beat Philly in Philly — that is a different type — but their fans bring it, man, especially as we’re rivals with them in the NFC, in the East, so I love playing against them.”
‘Exactly what you dream of’
As trade rumors swirl around Crosby, the Raiders star edge rusher’s past comments about the Eagles and their fans have resurfaced.
On a December episode of his podcast, “The Rush With Maxx Crosby,” the 28-year-old defensive end spoke about the fan base following the Raiders game against the Eagles, his first at the Linc.
“Cities that really have substance to them and true fan bases, and love for their city and the game — and going to Philly, you can feel that energy when you go there,” Crosby said on his podcast. “There were people everywhere downtown. We stayed right downtown in the thick of it. You know how Philly is. They’re rowdy, they are crazy, they’re flipping off the [team] buses. They didn’t give a damn about anything.”
Maxx Crosby said he remembers the snow-covered trees outside the Linc as fans prepped for the Eagles-Raiders game in December.
Crosby also got a taste of what the fan base brings not just on game day, but every day.
“I low-key never do this, but I was driving into Philly, and this is the first time I’ve ever played in Philly, so that’s why I took some pictures,” Crosby said. “[I] was driving in there, trees just all white (snow) and fans everywhere in the tailgate. You can see the stadium behind it. I took a couple dope-ass pictures because this is my first time ever playing there.
“If you love football, that’s what you dream of as a kid, playing in Philadelphia in December in a grimy-ass environment. That is exactly what you dream of, so I loved it.”
If Crosby indeed hits the Raiders trading block, could Philly be a potential destination for the five-time Pro Bowler?
‘They hate all of us equally’
Kittle has also embraced the city’s fans after several battles with the Eagles. Ahead of San Francisco’s wild-card playoff game at the Linc, his fifth appearance in Philly, Kittle told reporters about the respect he has for the fan base.
“The one thing that’s really unique about Philly is that they don’t really — I mean, maybe like a division rival is different, but any other road team that comes in there, they hate all of us equally, and I just appreciate that,” Kittle said. “It’s incredibly loud, they flip you off, they moon you on your bus ride in.
“But, they do that to everybody. It doesn’t matter if you’re the 49ers, if you’re the Jacksonville Jaguars. It doesn’t matter. They just give you that no matter what, and I appreciate that because you can tell how much they love their team.”
Eagles fans didn’t get the ending they hoped for last season, with the Birds falling to the Niners in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Kittle and Crosby aren’t the only ones to see the positive in Eagles’ fans antics, which can sometimes cross the line, like when fans egged then-offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house after the team’s Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears.
Before his team’s game in Philly this season, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said the city was “probably the most hostile place to play” and recalled a time when he was playing for the Giants and a fan at Veterans Stadium dumped a cup of tobacco spit on Michael Strahan. Despite that, Campbell still loves the Philly faithful.
“You go on the road and it’s you against everybody else,” Campbell said. “And it’s very clear that it’s you against everybody else there. You go some places and they wave at you like, ‘Man, we’re so happy you’re here to play against us.’ This is not one of those places. It’s as far from that as you can possibly get. I love playing in atmospheres like that.”
Even players who have had serious beef with Eagles fans have changed their tune.
“I hate Eagles fans,” Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse repeatedly told the L.A. Times before the teams’ divisional round matchup in 2025. “They’re so annoying.”
The Eagles went on to win that game in the snow, and fans pelted Verse with snowballs on his way out after his quote was displayed on the video board for the crowd to see. But after the game, Verse said he has grown to respect Philly fans.
“I like that they stand on it,” Verse said. “They don’t shy away from it.”
You have to start there. It is the independent variable. You have to define it in order to solve the rest of the equation. You can’t have an opinion on how the Eagles should proceed with their All-Pro wide receiver if you don’t first have an opinion on what they should do without him.
Feel free to take as much time as you need. Just make sure that you don’t dwell too long on the internal options. Right now, there aren’t any.
Aside from DeVonta Smith, the Eagles have exactly two pass-catchers under contract who had a target for them last season. Darius Cooper and Britain Covey combined for 11 catches on 112 yards. Other than that, your options are limited to 2024 sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson, who missed last season with a knee injury. The tight end room doesn’t even have anyone to turn on the lights.
So … what’s the plan?
The draft is not a serious option. Not where the Eagles are picking, at least. Last year’s draft yielded 11 wide receivers and tight ends who played at least 50% of their team’s snaps. Four of those players were selected before pick No. 23. Five others played for the Titans, Browns or Jets. Maybe they’ll be in a position to draft this year’s Emeka Egbuka (No. 19 to the Bucs in 2024). But they could just as easily end up with this year’s Matthew Golden (No. 23 to the Packers). The best way to get yourself in trouble on draft day is to try to solve this year’s problems.
It isn’t outlandish to think Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard might be capable of what Deebo Samuel did as a rookie when the 49ers drafted him in 2019.
That’s not to say they shouldn’t be looking. Nor that they won’t find some help. Alabama’s Germie Bernard would make a worthy target, even at No. 23. Whatever he measures at the combine, the game speed is there, as is the hybrid 6-foot-1, 204-pound frame. It isn’t outlandish to think he could do what Deebo Samuel did as a rookie after the 49ers drafted him at No. 36 overall in 2019: 57 catches, 802 yards, 14 carries, 159 yards. But to feel comfortable trading Brown, you need a lot more certainty than “isn’t outlandish.”
Free agents? Sure, let’s talk. Alec Pierce would be a no-brainer. At 25 years old, the Colts wideout caught 47 passes for 1,003 yards with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers and Riley Leonard at quarterback. He isn’t anywhere close to Brown as a singular talent. Still, if you combine him with a draft pick like Bernard, he could be part of a radical and positive identity shift in both the short- and long-term.
Only one problem: The Eagles are one of 32 teams that can bid on free agents. A team like the Patriots can offer more cap room and a better quarterback and an acute need at the position. I’m skeptical the Eagles would win out.
The free agent crop is interesting even beyond Pierce and presumptive Cowboys franchisee George Pickens. Jauan Jennings and Mike Evans could replace some of Brown’s physicality in traffic and in 50/50 situations. Again, though, you have to wonder. Will players who have multiple options err on the side of a team with a run-heavy approach and Jalen Hurts at quarterback?
The conundrum is the same as it was three months ago, when the annual pre-trade-deadline nonsense reached its crescendo. The dream that the Eagles might part ways with their WR1 died in a head-first collision with reality. However disgruntled Brown was, however diminished his skills were, nobody else on the roster would have done enough in his stead to survive such a move. To suggest otherwise was to betray a fundamental misunderstanding of how this Eagles passing offense works. It would not have functioned without him.
Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce had his first 1,000-yard season with Daniel Jones, Philip Rivers, and Riley Leonard throwing to him.
True, the Eagles barely functioned with Brown. But that only matters if you think they should have given up on the season at the trade deadline. That’s what they would have been doing by trading Brown. Look at their track record without him. Brown missed four (meaningful) games in his first three seasons with the Eagles. The Eagles lost three of them, and they scored 15 points in the game that they won. In 2025, the Eagles scored 38 points against the Giants without Brown. They also threw the ball 20 times. Smith was the only wide receiver to catch more than one of them.
Plenty of NFL teams have managed to win without two WR1 types. But we’ve never seen Hurts have to do it. Right now, the Eagles don’t even have a WR2 who is better than replacement level. Keep in mind, the Eagles already have a hugely pressing need at tight end. They could need to spend big bucks to retain Jaelan Phillips, or to sign a replacement. In the draft, they will be hard-pressed to turn down an opportunity to add another offensive lineman to their feeder system.
The preponderance of the circumstances says the Eagles probably shouldn’t trade Brown. Life would be a lot easier if they didn’t need to. The onus is on the case for how they can do so and survive. If you can make one, I’m sure they’d love to hear it.
