Doug Pederson's Offense Is the Blueprint Sean Mannion Should Follow

Everyone keeps calling Sean Mannion a "Shanahan guy." And he is — that's his coaching lineage, his schematic foundation, the system he learned under. But if Mannion is actually a good offensive coordinator, the Eagles' offense in 2026 won't look like San Francisco or Los Angeles. It'll look more like Philadelphia circa 2017.

Doug Pederson's offense with the Eagles was never one thing. It was everything — and that's why it worked.

The Pederson Formula

Pederson built a hybrid West Coast offense that mixed RPOs, play-action, 12 and 13 personnel groupings, and traditional timing routes into a single cohesive system. He didn't force his quarterback into a rigid framework. He adapted the scheme to what his players did best. When he had Nick Foles, the offense leaned into quick-rhythm passing and play-action boots. When Carson Wentz was at his peak, they spread it out and let him create.

That flexibility is the key lesson for Mannion. The Shanahan system is beautiful when you have the right personnel — a mobile quarterback who excels at play-action timing, a dominant running game, and receivers who win on scheme rather than pure talent. But the Eagles' roster isn't built that way. They have Jalen Hurts, who thrives on RPOs, designed runs, and extending plays. They have (for now) A.J. Brown, who wins on talent and contested catches. Forcing pure Shanahan onto this group would be like putting diesel in a gasoline engine.

Build Around Hurts, Don't Rebuild Hurts

This is the central question of the Eagles' 2026 offense, and it's the one that will define Mannion's tenure: Are you building the scheme around Jalen Hurts' strengths, or are you trying to turn him into a different quarterback?

The answer should be obvious, but it's not guaranteed. Coordinators from the Shanahan tree have a tendency to believe in the system above all else. They want the quarterback to fit the offense, not the other way around. And when it works — when you have a Garoppolo or a Goff who operates within the structure — it's elite. But Hurts isn't Garoppolo. He's never going to stand in the pocket and process three reads in rhythm on every play. That's not a flaw. That's his identity.

The best version of Mannion's offense takes the concepts from the Shanahan tree — the motion, the misdirection, the play-action structure — and layers them onto what Hurts already does well. RPOs with Shanahan window dressing. Designed quarterback runs off play-action looks. Boot concepts that let Hurts get outside the pocket with a plan rather than scrambling out of desperation.

Why Pederson Got It Right

Pederson's genius was understanding that the best offense isn't the most sophisticated one — it's the one your players can execute at full speed. He had West Coast roots from his time under Andy Reid, but he never let that become a cage. He borrowed from every system, stole concepts from college, and built something unique to Philadelphia's talent.

Mannion has the knowledge. He has the schematic background. The question is whether he has the humility to adapt. If he walks into NovaCare Complex and tries to install a pure McVay-Shanahan system without modification, this offense will struggle. If he watches the film, studies what Hurts does best, and builds a hybrid system that marries his concepts with this roster's strengths, the Eagles could have something special.

The blueprint is already there. Doug Pederson wrote it. Mannion just needs to be smart enough to read it.