'Players Over Plays:' Nick Sirianni Hinting at a Return to Roots Is Already Benefiting One Eagle

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — The much-ballyhooed shift to a Shanahan/McVay-like offensive scheme has been a dud early in the 2026 season for the Eagles.

And there are subtle hints that head coach Nick Sirianni is about to rewind to his broader philosophy of “players over plays.”

The lip service toward offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s watered-down version of the hybrid West Coast philosophy now claims some kind of all-inclusive adaptability.

Quarterback Tanner McKee—in for the sidelined Jalen Hurts—said the team’s offensive system aligns with his skill set because of that “adaptability," something that in theory allows coaches to adjust week to week without being locked into one approach.

“I think there’s a lot of different ways that this offense could be run,” McKee said. “I’ve said it before, it’s really wordy. Sean wants to be able to have the freedom to change different things in the game, week to week, whatever it is. And so he’s not trapped into one way of calling plays, running the offense, whatever it is. And so that’s freeing as a player.”

McKee emphasized that the freedom places added responsibility on the players.

The onus is on us to study, get in our playbook, make sure we’re all on the same page. But it is great to be able to have that freedom to change things up and get different calls out there and execute.
Tanner McKee, Eagles QB

Nick Sirianni returning to roots could help Tanner McKee succeed

Sirianni has described a similar philosophy of balancing a foundational system with in-season adjustments tailored to available personnel and opposing defenses.

“Your job is to go out and to try to win every game the best way that you can,” Sirianni said. “Yes, you want to have a system in place to be the bones of your operation, but while also understanding that you want to attack the defense of what they’re playing and with the strengths of your players,” Sirianni said. “That’s always a fine line. We know we have good players that can execute a lot of different things, but ultimately, it always is players over plays.

“It will always be players over plays.”

Sirianni added that the core values of a program have to be a constant; in his case, that’s the “tough, detailed, together” mindset that the Eagles have adopted.

Everything else—schemes, schedules, and practices—can change.

“We’ve adjusted some things because we’re doing everything we can on our end to be able to go out there and be successful,” said Sirianni.

McKee noted that each week the Eagles' offense targets defensive weaknesses alongside the strengths of the current personnel and the plays the unit has practiced most.

“Each week you attack defenses in a different way. Each week you attack, obviously, the weaknesses of the defense of that week, but also the strengths of the offense,” he said. “What guys are available, what plays do we like, what plays do we run well, what plays do we have a lot of reps on. That was one thing that me and Jalen talked a ton about."

Time on task or mileage of these plays. What do we feel very comfortable going through a whole progression or finding completions on?
Tanner McKee, Eagles QB

Learning from the past

Reviewing tape from his Week 6 start in a loss to the Panthers, McKee identified areas of focus that fit the need for precision within a variable system.

“Communication needs to be at a premium, especially at the quarterback position. I think when anybody is not on the same page, doesn’t know what to do, I feel like there’s always part of that goes on the quarterback,” the Stanford product said. “And then I think settling down a little bit, a little bit quicker. I think I got quick with my feet a couple times at the beginning of the game, trying to get the ball out, being a little rushed. And so I think just trusting my footwork, trusting my reads, getting through progressions, will ultimately benefit me.”

McKee also stressed better efficiency, particularly under center and against the blitz, and his part in that.

“I think efficiency. Efficiency and being on the same page. Staying on schedule,” McKee said when discussing needed improvements. “There are times if it’s a bad play, don’t make a bad play worse. Obviously, taking care of the ball. Sometimes as a quarterback, the best play is to throw the ball away and not take a sack.

“As a quarterback, I think you have to have some damage control. There are plays that, you know, sometimes the defense just gets you. … And so, as a quarterback, you have to be able to diagnose that, have some damage control, and live to see the next down.”

Get Eagles On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google