We're a little over one month away from the 2026 NFL draft, weeks away from the start of off-season workouts, and the Eagles will look tremendously different on offense and defense. Vic Fangio's defense saw Reed Blankenship (Texans), Nakobe Dean (Raiders), Jaelan Phillips (Panthers), Azeez Ojulari (Falcons), and Josh Uche (Dolphins) depart via free agency. Sydney Brown was traded to the Falcons, and the Birds regrouped by adding safety J.T Gray, edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, cornerback Jonathan Jones, and cornerback Riq Woolen.
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On offense, Hollywood Brown, Johnny Mundt, and Dameon Pierce were added in free agency after losing Jahan Dotson, while Grant Calcaterra, Marcus Epps, Dallas Goedert, and Braden Mann were all resigned. There have been several big moves made, the most impactful decision happened on the coaching staff.
Here's a look at the Eagles' best move of the NFL offseason and how that decision could impact Philadelphia's roster, depth, and overall outlook heading into the 2026 season.
Surrounding Jalen Hurts with a three-headed monster
After weeks of searching, the Eagles hired Packers quarterback coach Sean Mannion as their new offensive coordinator, replacing Kevin Patullo. After some initial disappointment and uncertainty, Mannion emerged as an intriguing and familiar name and quickly became a potential dark-horse favorite. Mannion, Jim Bob Cooter, Jerrod Johnson, and Josh Grizzard all earned second interviews, but it was Mannion who looks to get the Eagles' offense back to its Super Bowl dominance from a year ago. Looking to surround quarterback Jalen Hurts with as much coaching talent and IQ as possible, Philadelphia then hired Josh Grizzard as the team's passing game coordinator and Jerrod Johnson as a special, senior offensive assistant.
A fast riser in the coaching profession, Mannion was hired to Matt LaFleur's coaching staff as an offensive assistant working with quarterbacks under Tom Clements. LaFleur promoted Mannion to quarterbacks coach in 2025. It happened quickly because Mannion just wrapped up a nine-year playing career in 2023 after stints with the Vikings and Seahawks. Mannion gets hype for helping Jordan Love ascend into a top 10 quarterback, but it was his work with Malik Willis over the past two seasons that got the former NFL quarterback the most attention.
In an 8th-month-old video below from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Mannion offered insight into his coaching preparation and his approach to working with quarterbacks.
Hours after hiring Mannion as the offensive coordinator, the Eagles smartly hired Josh Grizzard to the position of passing game coordinator. Tampa Bay fired the first-year offensive coordinator as part of a series of changes to the coaching staff at season's end. Grizzard was among four finalists for the offensive coordinator job and landed a role on Nick Sirianni's revamped offensive staff.
Grizzard was promoted to offensive coordinator last January to replace Liam Coen, who left the Bucs to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach. Grizzard previously served as Tampa Bay's pass game coordinator in 2024 and was responsible for third-down play-calling, leading the league with a 50.9% conversion rate that season. Mannion was a fast riser after his NFL career ended, and the same can be said for Grizzard, who rose up the ranks in Tampa and has key experience dialing successful plays on third downs. If Mannion is as talented as some key coaches around the league believe, then the former NFL quarterback could be on the fast track to a head coaching job in 2027. If Mannion becomes the next offensive coordinator to land one of the 32 NFL head coaching jobs, Grizzard is already on the staff, allowing for continuity.
Philadelphia then tripled down on surrounding Hurts with talent, hiring Jerrod Johnson after he was a finalist for the offensive coordinator job, which went to Sean Mannion. Johnson and Houston mutually parted ways this week so he could seek other opportunities. He heads to Philadelphia to work alongside head coach Sirianni, Mannion, and Grizzard.
Johnson actually interviewed for the job following the 2023 season when Brian Johnson was fired, and was interviewed twice this offseason when Kevin Patullo was fired. Under his direction, Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud put together one of the greatest seasons ever by a first-year signal caller, throwing for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions in 15 games. Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per game (273.9).
Johnson is a Texas A&M graduate and was an All-Big 12 performer with the Aggies, throwing for 8,011 yards and 67 touchdowns in his collegiate career. And he's got a relationship with Hurts thanks to his Texas roots. In all, Hurts is surrounded by three young offensive minds, two former quarterbacks, and a new formula for explosive, creative, and efficient offensive play.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Breaking down the Eagles’ top move this NFL offseason