Drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2006, Chris Kuper knows what it is like to line up in the trenches against an NFL defensive line.

"I've been in those huddles. I've had my hand in the dirt," Kuper said in preparation for Training Camp. "I understand some of what the sensations that these guys feel when they're taking the wrong angle."

The fifth-round pick born in Alaska went on to play for eight seasons with the Broncos before retiring in 2014, turning his attention to coaching. Kuper worked his way through the ranks with the Dolphins before being hired as the assistant offensive line coach for the Broncos under then-Head Coach Vic Fangio. After three seasons as an assistant to the team that drafted him, Kuper was hired by the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 to be their offensive line coach.

"Vic was gracious enough to give me an interview to work back in Denver, where I originally played," Kuper said of the current Eagles Defensive Coordinator. "Vic has meant a lot to me in terms of giving me the opportunity to come to Denver. He didn't know me ... They just trusted that I was going to do a good job."

Looking for a new opportunity this offseason, Kuper not only reunites with Fangio, but also with the Eagles' newly appointed Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion.

While Kuper was on the Vikings' coaching staff, Mannion was a backup quarterback. Now, Kuper works with Mannion on the Eagles' offensive coaching staff.

"Sean's one of those guys that…. surprised me, because there's not a ton of interaction with the backup quarterback, but he would ask me some protection questions to really get in front of him for Kirk (Cousins), because he knew that Kirk was going to ask them," Kuper said of coaching Mannion back in Minnesota.

"What I saw was intelligence, understanding. I really love his demeanor. And then the thing that I didn't get to see because I was a coach and he was a backup quarterback, is his ability to lead, and lead men and lead coaches."

Kuper has been entrusted to be the Eagles' first new offensive line coach in 13 years. All starters on the Eagles' offensive line have only known one position coach during their NFL careers and are just now experiencing a scheme and coaching change at their position for the first time. Kuper also faces an offensive line room that has all five starters returning from the previous year.

"I've just got to be myself. I think in general being in those chairs before as a player, I've gone through a lot more coaching changes than these guys have," Kuper said. "There's an evolution to football where you have to be adaptable. You're going to have to adjust. There's always going to be new terms with new coaches, new offenses.

"When you're dealing with an experienced group, the transition is maybe a little bit easier. The fact that the five guys have played together, the continuity upfront is huge. Sometimes there's communication that needs to be had when there might be a new guy in there or you have guys that played together for a long time and they have their own language."

With the Eagles transitioning to a new offensive scheme, there are likely to be some adjustments to the way the offensive line operates. "I think any time that you are forcing the defense to adjust to you is going to benefit the offensive line," Kuper said.

So, how has the offensive line reacted?

"These guys are all ball," Kuper said. "It's something that stuck out to me right away is that they're all eager. They're eager to be the best. They're eager to learn and again, eager to take that information and apply it on the field, hopefully make them successful, which gives me the buy-in."

"I can see frustration when they're not getting it right. I get questions, I get texts, I send texts to them and video. And so we're in constant communication. If it was crickets on the other end when I'm asking these questions, or I'm not getting any feedback, then it would probably be a different story."

Kuper is confident that the players won't have an issue adjusting to a new offensive line coach and scheme.

"Players, if you can help them, they're going to listen. So, if I can help the players and they're seeing the results on the field, I'm going to get the buyback and buy-in," Kuper said.

"The right way to do it is to adjust to your players. Again, we're teachers. 'Football coach,' that's what the title says but you're really a teacher and you're trying to find every way to hit every individual player, the right way to get them to learn it. So that's my goal, is to get them to understand the system and verbiage and then just coming from a new voice in a different way. I think everyone's going to have to adjust. And yes, am I adjusting? Of course I am. Because that's how I believe you teach is you adjust to your players."

Mannion showed his trust in his former offensive line coach, just as Fangio showed Kuper back in Denver. Now, Kuper has to trust his players, especially entering Training Camp where everything they have studied this offseason gets put to the test.

Why? Because according to Kuper, "really good players make really good coaches."

One of these "really good players" is right tackle Lane Johnson. Even the 13-year veteran is looking forward to learning new tricks this offseason.

"Lane's been great." Kuper said. "[He's one of those] experienced guys that you're not as concerned about because he's played a lot of football. He's seen in a lot of different ways."

Kuper knows what change looks like, having experienced it as both a player and a coach. In other words, the former guard from the University of North Dakota has been in the players' cleats and will look to capitalize on that knowledge to get the most out of this Philadelphia offensive line. - Written by Caroline Connor