PHILADELPHIA — Movement was the most striking impression of the first public sight of the Philadelphia Eagles’ still-developing offense.
There was rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon moving in motion. There was a veteran-laden offensive line moving laterally in a run game that is expected to use more wide zone. There was an expanded list of wideouts moving along the field in a notable uptick of crossing routes.
It is foolhardy to use Wednesday’s viewing of OTAs to extrapolate full conclusions of what the 2026 Eagles offense will look like under first-time play-caller Sean Mannion, the organization’s fifth offensive coordinator in six years. But let’s borrow a phrase from quarterback Jalen Hurts, who spoke with reporters after the team’s second voluntary workout:
“You can see the vision.”
Running back Saquon Barkley said it’s “too early” to talk Xs and Os. The Eagles are still in the preliminary stages of building a system that, when finished, could embody the biggest offensive shift in coach Nick Sirianni’s six-year tenure. Sirianni has successfully adapted to his offensive coordinator hires before. He ceded play-calling to Shane Steichen midway through the 2021 season. He loosened his grip on the controls with Kellen Moore on staff in 2024. But Sirianni’s hiring of Mannion began a significant philosophical shift that led to the departure of longtime offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
The sight of Stoutland’s successor, Chris Kuper, at the far end of the Eagles’ indoor practice facility was jarring enough for reporters who’d attended practices over the last dozen years. So was the notable (albeit expected) absence of All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown. It may be less than a week before the Eagles’ wide receiver depth formally reflects what was on the field Wednesday. DeVonta Smith, the presumptive No. 1 option, led off individual drills of a position group that now includes veterans Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Dontayvion Wicks.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman called the restocked wide receiver room a “basketball team” of depth and versatility. Wednesday’s viewing indeed showcased variance. On the first play of 7-on-9 drills, the Eagles fielded Smith, their lanky and lean all-around pass-catcher; Lemon, whose 5-foot-11, 192-pound running back build makes him a unique tackle-breaker in the slot; and Johnny Wilson, a 6-6, 228-pounder who exhibited a talent for run blocking and snagging jump balls before suffering season-ending knee and ankle injuries during training camp last year.
A fuller view of the Eagles’ passing game awaits. But Wednesday’s sampling was notably horizontal. It seems Mannion’s influence, rooted in Shanahan-tree concepts, could lead to an uptick in crossers and screens. Yards after the catch will be an eventual stat to track. Lemon embodied that shift as a first-round selection. His public debut with veterans included dropping a crosser from Hurts. The quarterback mostly stuck to short throws and checkdowns, but it’s clear explosive passes remain the goal. Wilson caught a deep post over the middle during one session of drills.
It is almost useless to evaluate a run game when a team is not practicing in full pads. But Hurts did operate under-center on the rare occasions the Eagles ran the ball in team drills. Hurts later acknowledged the team’s potential uptick in under-center plays. Sirianni resisted making any definitive statements about the offense’s direction, saying the team is largely focusing on fundamentals at this point.
“We’ve got a lot of practices to go through before we play a game,” Sirianni said. “This is about figuring out what we do well, what we can do well, and sharpening our tools. You can run any scheme you want, but if you can’t block, if you can’t catch, if you can’t protect the football, it doesn’t really matter. All those things that aren’t looked at as sexy, the dirty work stuff, that’s what we’re working on perfecting right now as we get to know some new terminology and some new things with the way the offense goes.”
Absences beyond Brown included right tackle Lane Johnson, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Wicks. Here are more notes from Wednesday’s viewing of OTAs.
Potential depth charts
Here was the defensive rotation in team drills:
Defensive rotation in team drills
Position1st2nd3rd
CB
Quinyon Mitchell
Jonathan Jones
Tariq Castro-Fields
CB
Riq Woolen
Jakorian Bennett
Kelee Ringo
Nickel
Cooper DeJean
Carter II
Gushiken
Dime
Michael Carter II
Safety
Drew Mukuba
Andre’ Sam
Pulley/Johnson
Safety
Marcus Epps/DeJean (base)
Carter II/Maximus Pulley (base)
Kapena Gushiken
LB
Zack Baun
Chance Campbell
Isiah King
LB
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Smael Mondon
Deontae Lawson
Edge
Nolan Smith
Arnold Ebiketie
Keyshawn James-Newby
IDL
Moro Ojomo
Ta’Quon Graham
Graham
IDL
Jordan Davis
Gabe Hall
Uar Bernard
IDL
Byron Young
Young
Ty Robinson
Edge
Jalyx Hunt
Jose Ramirez
Joshua Weru
*Green, returning starter; Orange, free-agent signing; Blue, draft pick; Pink, undrafted rookie
Backups Jonathan Jones and Jakorian Bennett alternated playing left and right cornerback, indicating position flexibility. Jones, an 11-year veteran, recorded the first public interception of OTAs by picking off backup quarterback Andy Dalton.
I did not see newly acquired edge rusher Jonathan Greenard in team drills. Smith and Hunt went out first during team drills. Greenard did participate in group drills and individual drills. The Eagles sent two third-round picks and a seventh-round selection to the Minnesota Vikings for Greenard. They also signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension. He is expected to start.
Linebacker Jihaad Campbell will miss most, if not all, of OTAs while managing an offseason shoulder injury. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was the first linebacker out in Campbell’s place, but Smael Mondon and Chance Campbell both had snaps with the first rotation.
Michael Carter II was the backup safety, backup nickel and first-team dime defender.
Uar Bernard, the team’s seventh-round pick and International Player Pathway member, played interior defensive line with the third rotation.
Here was the quarterback and offensive line rotation in team drills (the wide receivers, tight ends and running back rotations were less consistent):
Offensive rotation
Position1st2nd3rd4th
QB
Jalen Hurts
Andy Dalton
Tanner McKee
Cole Payton
LT
Jordan Mailata
Fred Johnson
Hollin Pierce
LG
Landon Dickerson
Myles Hinton
Jaeden Roberts
C
Cam Jurgens
Jake Majors
Willie Lampkin
RG
Tyler Steen
Drew Kendall
Micah Morris
RT
Markel Bell
John Ojukwu
Cameron Williams
*Green, returning starter; Orange, free-agent signing; Blue, draft pick; Pink, undrafted rookie
Third-round rookie Markel Bell filled in for Lane Johnson at right tackle. This is notable for two reasons: Fred Johnson, who is under contract, has been the team’s go-to swing tackle for the last two seasons. Bell also only played left tackle at Miami and Holmes Community College. Bell said Miami’s coaching staff did cross-train him in practice to play both sides.
It’s interesting that Myles Hinton, a sixth-round pick in 2026, was the backup left guard behind Dickerson. The 6-7, 323-pound Hinton was drafted as an offensive tackle. He would be a massive figure along the interior. He will have to prove he can move in this new system to stay there.
It’s too early to draw definitive conclusions, but, notably, Cameron Williams was the third-team right tackle behind veteran John Ojukwu, who signed a futures deal in January. Williams, a sixth-round pick in 2025, only appeared in one game last year.
Dickerson has been the Eagles’ most capable backup center in the last two seasons. Jake Majors and Willie Lampkin began their battle for the backup spot. Both had troubles with snaps: a high snap from Majors, a low snap from Lampkin.
Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee have been rotating days working with the second-team offense. McKee worked out with the second team on Tuesday. Dalton did Wednesday, with McKee working with the third team. Fifth-round pick Cole Payton saw limited looks in both 7-on-7 and team drills. He completed a nice long-range throw to Dae’Quan Wright that required some touch to get over rookie safety Kapena Gushiken.
More notes
Riq Woolen is big. I noticed this while standing just beyond the end zone, behind the cornerbacks. Woolen, who is listed at 6-4, 210 pounds, towered over his teammates and was looking down while engaged in conversation with Quinyon Mitchell (6-feet, 193 pounds). It was clear why Fangio had called Woolen “a rare guy.” Fangio generated my curiosity in Woolen by saying his free-agency film dive into Woolen made him wonder why Woolen didn’t get any “action” for a long-term deal. The Eagles didn’t declare Woolen their long-term solution to their CB2 spot, either (signing him to a one-year, $12 million deal), but if he outgrows his penchant for personal flags and lives up to his Pro Bowl pedigree, he’ll complete a unique matchup advantage the Eagles didn’t have in their previous pairings with Mitchell. One play offered promise. Hurts launched a deep pass to DeVonta Smith with Woolen chasing along the left sideline, and the ball struck Woolen’s shoulders and fell incomplete. It was not a pass that seemed overtly underthrown. In my view, Woolen caught up in the closing seconds and fended off an explosive completion with his large frame.
Seventh-round pick Cole Wisniewski attended practice but did not participate in drills, which is generally an indication that a player is managing an injury. Wisniewski’s non-participation is not an indication of anything serious, according to a league source.
Safety held no other surprises. Marcus Epps practiced opposite Drew Mukuba, as Fangio signaled last week. Epps, who is entering the second year of his second stint with the Eagles, “will put up good claim” to the starting job, per Fangio. Wednesday’s most compelling sight at safety was watching Mukuba participate with no apparent limitations. Fangio had said Mukuba wasn’t fully healthy yet but had been training with the team for a couple of weeks.
It’s going to take some getting used to seeing someone else wearing No. 17: edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.