In case you have forgotten, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl last year! However, even champions can evolve. Every season brings new schematic wrinkles, and this year, there are a few areas worth keeping an eye on, especially with a new offensive coordinator at the helm. Here are four things I’ll be watching for on offense this season that could potentially improve or alter the offense. All numbers here are from Sports Info Solutions!
1. Will there be more 11 personnel?
Longtime readers know I’ve always been a fan of 12 personnel,
mainly because it can force defenses into single-high coverages and create one-on-one matchups outside. In simple terms, you create an extra gap in the run game in 12 personnel, which means the defense often has to respond by bringing down a safety. This leads to more single-high coverage and potential shots outside the numbers. But the lack of a true TE2 has limited the Eagles in that package. Last year, they ranked 15th in the NFL in 12 personnel usage but just 27th in success rate when throwing the ball from 12 personnel.
With John Metchie III added to an already strong receiving group and rookie Darius Cooper flashing in preseason, 11 personnel might be the better path forward. I hope we see more three-receiver looks this season, which makes sense and could help maximize the Eagles’ passing game.
2. Can the Eagles fix the screen game?
The Eagles have a proud screen tradition dating back to Andy Reid, with Jason Kelce rumbling downfield as the lead blocker. Who doesn’t feel good just thinking about the Eagles’ screen game of old? But in recent years, screens have become a big problem. Last season, they ranked 31st in screen usage and 32nd in screen success rate. That’s almost unthinkable with one of the league’s most athletic offensive lines. It feels hard to be that incompetent.
The screen game has been poor for several reasons, but in particular, there has been an over-reliance on receiver bubble screens, particularly to DeVonta Smith’s side. Without a big, physical matchup wideout to block on the perimeter (especially after the loss of Johnny Wilson), those plays too often fail at the line of scrimmage. Even with Johnny Wilson last year, it felt predictable that they would attempt to run a screen when he was on the field. The Eagles need to either overhaul their screen package or lean into different designs, such as middle screens and angle screens to running backs, where linemen can use their athleticism to punish linebackers in space.
The Eagles can’t be that bad again, considering the talent they have on the offensive line. It’s impossible… right? Look at some of the cool stuff that other teams do. Can’t we do some of this!?
3. Will there be more under-center looks (or pistol)?
There’s no doubt that shotgun is the bread and butter of this offense, and rightly so. However, I do think that a heavy reliance on it can make the offense predictable at times. When they did line up under center, it often felt like defenses knew precisely what was coming. They didn’t commit to it either, and would often run it just once or twice a game. That doesn’t give you enough time to figure out defensive tendencies and try to take advantage of them. There were some promising signs with under-center runs last year, but it felt like the Eagles didn’t ever build on them.
This year, with Ben VanSumeren showing potential as a legit fullback, there’s an opportunity to build out the under-center package. More under-center snaps could open up bootlegs, play-action shots down the field, and more balance in the run game. I think AJ Dillon is a fantastic outside zone runner from under-center, and the Eagles could utilise this at the end of games to give Saquon Barkley a much-needed rest. I think the Eagles’ offense would benefit from examining their use of under-center (or pistol) and exploring ways to utilize them more effectively. I thought Hurts looked comfortable throwing after turning his back to the defense last year, too.
If the Eagles don’t want to run a lot more under center, then surely we should see more pistol next year. It’s the best of both worlds! One of the annoying things is that data often doesn’t label pistol in it’s own category, so it’s tough to compare to under-center runs, but I think the Eagles could use a lot more pistol.
4. Will the Eagles lean into gap scheme runs?
The Eagles have traditionally been a zone-running team, partly because zone concepts pair so well with quarterback keepers and read-option looks. However, the data indicate that this offensive line is even more effective when running gap schemes. Last year, the Eagles averaged +0.11 EPA per gap run, compared to just +0.01 on zone runs. This doesn’t mean the zone run game wasn’t working (it absolutely was…), but the Eagles were fantastic on gap scheme runs last year.
This doesn’t mean zone should disappear, as it’s still the backbone of the ground game and always will be. But sprinkling in even more power, counter, and perhaps even some duo at times could give the run game extra juice in tough matchups. Think back to the Super Bowl: when the run game stalled, a heavier dose of gap runs (or QB counter bash, one of my favorites as you all know) might have helped the run game out.
Final thoughts
The Eagles don’t need to reinvent themselves. This offense is built on simplicity because they are often too dominant for defenses to stop, even if the scheme isn’t always fantastic. However, paying attention to how often they utilize 11 personnel, whether they can revive the screen game, how they integrate under-center/pistol looks, and whether gap runs become a more prominent staple will tell us a lot about how this unit evolves in 2025. By the way, the Cowboys struggled last year to stop gap scheme runs (I’m sure it will all be fine for them now that they have Kenny Clark, of course…), so we could see a lot of it on Thursday night.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon.
