The phrase most used by players at Training Camp when talking about the new offense?

Deception.

Both offensive and defensive players have said that the scheme being installed by Mannion, Head Coach Nick Sirianni, and the assistants has the chance to be more difficult for the defense to guess whether it's a run or pass than in previous years.

Why?

"There's so much motion. Motion on the snap, fallback," tight end Dallas Goedert said about the new system. "Just hearing how the defense was seeing it, it seems like it's going to be really good for us."

One of those defenders is Eagles' All-Pro defensive back Cooper DeJean who told reporters that dealing with the offense's motion through Training Camp has been difficult.

"They've challenged us for sure," DeJean said. "It's tough, especially in the run game."

Then you have the new blocking scheme and the expectation of Jalen Hurts playing under center more often. Every player has to deal with change when a new coordinator and playcaller is appointed. For the Eagles' offense, that has been every year since 2023. No one has arguably experienced more change this offseason, though, than Lane Johnson. Despite entering his 14th Training Camp, the veteran right tackle had only experienced one offensive line coach for his entire career until this offseason.

So, how does Johnson feel about the new offense?

"It's very O-line friendly compared to maybe some past years that I've been involved in. So, man (I'm) looking forward to it, looking forward to the offense," Johnson said after the second day of Training Camp.

The veteran tackle has said throughout the offseason that under previous offenses, he has never had help in pass protection. He's always been isolated. Now, the two-time first-team All-Pro has help from the inside guards for the first time in his career. So, it's no surprise Johnson is excited. He also believes it will be more difficult for defenses to pick up on reads with Hurts under center.

"What I like about (the offense) is that everything looks very complex to the defense. To the offense, it's pretty simplified," Johnson said.

Hurts isn't worried about the transition to snapping the ball more from center, saying that it's always been an area of his game and this offensive scheme will just be an "extension" of what he has already done. Meanwhile, Jordan Mailata shared the same sentiment as his partner at the opposite anchor of the offensive line, saying that they get to stretch the defense out more than previous offensive schemes.

"They don't know if it's a pass or run. ... It's been fun so far," Mailata said. "There's a lot more to it than I thought an offensive coordinator could bring to the table."

The new receiving group will also stretch out the secondary of the defense, not just the box, according to Goedert.

"It's a little bit different of a group than we've had in the past, but I'm really excited. It's been a lot of fun to watch these new guys come in. The work, the routes they run are different than what we've seen in the past, so just watching them has been fun," Goedert said. "They've got a lot of speed, stretching vertical, taking players out, opening up the middle a little bit for (the tight ends)."

One of the players contributing to stretching the defense out with their speed is wide receiver DeVonta Smith. The former Heisman winner told reports that working with Mannion has been "great" and that "he's doing a tremendous job getting everybody up to speed."

"Everybody has to do everything, I think that's the great thing about this. Everybody can do everything," Smith said of the wide receiver room in the new offense.

Mannion's vision for the offense is still being built day by day during Training Camp. The former NFL quarterback is a first-time offensive coordinator this year. He spent the past two years in Green Bay as the quarterbacks coach (2025) and as an offensive assistant in the passing game (2024).

He's in an unfamiliar role in an unfamiliar city, but he's not alone. This offseason, the Eagles traded for wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks from the Packers, who spent the past two years with Mannion in Green Bay. Even with the familiarity between the two, the offense is still almost entirely new to Wicks as well as his new Eagles teammates.

"It's been fun seeing Sean grow as an (offensive coordinator)," Wicks said after Saturday's Training Camp practice. "It's the most I have ever heard Sean talk."

Now 34 years old, Mannion spent nine years in the NFL as a quarterback, playing for three different teams. Drafted in the third round by the Rams in 2015, Mannion spent his first four years in the NFL with the team coached by Sean McVay, Zac Taylor, and Matt LaFleur. He also learned under Dave Canales during his time with the Seahawks; as well as Kevin O'Connell, Klint Kubiak, and Kevin Stefanski with the Vikings.

"Sean has been doing a great job," Goedert said. "The way he runs practices, the way he runs meetings, he leads it. He's got high expectations for us, and we're just trying to meet those." - Written by Caroline Connor