Eagles' Jalen Hurts Embraces Offensive Shift: Excited To Learn New Brand Of Football

PHILADELPHIA - After a second consecutive disappointing season in the passing game and yet another offensive coordinator change, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts hit all the right notes Wednesday when discussing his willingness to embrace and evolve in his approach to the scheme around him.

Speaking about the installation of Sean Mannion's system during OTAs, Hurts reflected on past offensive identities while expressing optimism about the future.

"When you look back at 2020 and 2021 and those times, we were a heavy gun team," Hurts explained. "We ran a lot of inside zone. We ran a lot of RPO. We got to the edge a good bit. Defenses were different too. The game has changed. That doesn’t mean that you remove those elements."

An evolution is needed, however.

"I think from a pass-game standpoint, as things have evolved, we were very 1-on-1 dependent in trying to find a matchup instead of full flow West Coast style of offense," said Hurts. "It’s a component where I think it’s up to how we put it all together, and I got a lot of good trust in where we are right now to be hopeful of what’s to come.”

Hurts' words didn't feel inauthentic or like lip service. In the room it felt like a quarterback acknowledging the limitations of what had become a somewhat stale, shotgun-heavy, one-on-one dependent attack that leaned heavily on the pure athleticism of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, along with Hurts' improvisation skills.

Offensive Prodigy?

Sean Mannion meets with reporters on May 21, 2026. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

The addition of Mannion, a 34-year-old wunderkind less than three years off his playing career, signaled the pivot toward a more traditional Shanahan-McVay influenced "full flow" offense, one that will emphasize under-center elements like rhythm, timing, bootlegs, and play-action rather than pure RPO, zone-read and inside zone from an offset back.

The shift began in-season last year. However, head coach Nick Sirianni and then-coordinator Kevin Patullo attempted the changes on the fly without any offseason prep, perhaps providing the context of the reports that Hurts pushed back on some of the changes.

With the foundation starting from Day 1 this time with more expertise in the style of offense, not only with Mannion but assistants Ryan Mahaffey and Chris Kuper, Hurts was full of optimism for what a "blended" offensive approach might look like.

"It has been a really good process so far," the Super Bowl LIX MVP said. "[Mannion has] come in, and he’s very clear, giving good direction. You can definitely see the vision. (He’s) been able to answer all of my questions. Very instructive, very helpful, so it’s been a very enjoyable journey so far."

Set to turn 28 during training camp later this summer, perhaps a challenge is what Hurts needed to reboot a Hall of Fame trajectory that stagnated a bit along with the offense.

"It’s a different leader, different coordinator, different philosophical approach," the QB1 said. "It’s exciting to be able to learn a new brand of football, get new perspective and just grow."

Talk is just that until September.

Mannion is an inexperienced first-time play-caller, and integrating a completely different offense to an entire group that has had immense success could result in significant hurdles at the first sign of adversity.

That said, Hurts' mindset offers hope that the latest quarterback/coordinator marriage in Philadelphia could lean toward Shane Steichen or Kellen Moore rather than Brian Johnson or Patullo.

Hurts us owning his responsibility in the transition while showing trust in the process.

"I’m always trying to get hip-to-hip with the play caller, get as much direction as I can, so I can go out there and execute the offense as he sees it," Hurts said. "Over time, you grow as a quarterback (to) what you feel like you can make it your own. And so, I just want to ingrain myself into what we’re doing and go out there and prove it every day."

And there will be no excuses.

"... My process hasn’t changed since college," said Hurts. "It hasn’t changed at all. I learn as much as I can, build with the coaching, see what his direction is, what [Mannion's] vision is, ask the right questions. It’s been the same exact process. I’ve learned a lot on that journey. But I do really want to become an expert at the position, and I want to grow within the position. That’s obviously hard to do when [the OC/play-caller is] always changing. But that’s not going to stop me from trying to be the best that I can be.

"I’m just trying to grow, take in the coaching, so I can be the best I can be."

Add us as a preferred source on Google