Nick Sirianni is handing his offense to a coach who was throwing passes on an NFL practice squad three years ago. Sean Mannion, the Eagles’ first-year offensive coordinator, has never called a play at any level of football. Sirianni says that doesn’t scare him one bit.
“I’m not at all concerned there as far as his inexperience on that because he’s worked his ass off,” Sirianni said, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “And I know that he’ll work his ass off to be as ready as he possibly can that day.”
Mannion’s path here was fast. Two years ago he was still a National Football League quarterback, bouncing between the practice squads of the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. He hung up his cleats after the 2023 season and went straight to Green Bay, spending 2024 as an offensive assistant and 2025 as quarterbacks coach under Matt LaFleur. In January, the Eagles hired him away to run their offense — no play-calling experience required, apparently.
Mannion becomes Philadelphia’s fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons under Sirianni, a stretch that has produced more turnover than stability at the position. Shane Steichen ran the offense for Sirianni’s first two years before leaving for the Indianapolis Colts’ head-coaching job. Brian Johnson struggled the following year. Kellen Moore called plays for a Super Bowl-winning season in 2024, then left to become the New Orleans Saints’ head coach. Kevin Patullo took over last season and lasted one year before the Eagles moved on from him as well.
Now it’s Mannion’s turn to try to break the cycle.
Sirianni Praises Mannion’s Work Ethic Over Résumé
Sirianni leaned hard into the idea that effort, not experience, is what separates a coordinator who sinks from one who swims.
“This dude loves football and he loves to work,” Sirianni said, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Sometimes we think ‘man, he’s talented’ about everybody, ‘man, he’s just got it.’ But it doesn’t happen without, whether it’s a player, whether it’s Sean, it doesn’t happen without just this obsession to get better.”
Sirianni also pointed to the coaching room Mannion inherited, naming pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard and quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier as resources Mannion can lean on. Sirianni, who has now called plays or overseen play-calling through five different coordinators, put himself in that same category of backup support.
“He’s got a lot of people to help bounce ideas off of,” Sirianni said.
How Sirianni Is Testing Mannion Before the Games Count
The real evaluation started well before training camp, which opens July 28 at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Sirianni said he’s been putting Mannion through situational drills during OTAs — sometimes with a warning, sometimes without.
“My job is to make sure I put him in as many scenarios as I possibly can to help him go through that,” Sirianni said. “‘Hey, Shane, we’re going to do third-and-12 from the minus-3 today. Make sure you’re ready.’ And sometimes what we’ve been doing is kind of a pop quiz. So he has to have a call sheet ready and go from there.”
That’s a defense-mechanism as much as a teaching tool. A call sheet is the laminated menu of plays a coordinator uses to script situational football — third downs, red zone, two-minute drill — and being able to adjust it on the fly, under pressure, is exactly the skill Mannion has never had to prove in a live NFL setting.
Locker Room Buzz Has Been Positive
Mannion’s early reviews inside the building have been strong. Left tackle Jordan Mailata offered one of the more memorable endorsements this offseason, telling reporters Mannion is a football savant in the meeting room, according to ESPN. That kind of buy-in matters for a first-time play-caller trying to earn trust from veterans who have already played under four different coordinators.
Still, praise in June and July is cheap. None of it has been tested against a real opposing defense, and Sirianni knows it.
What Comes Next
Despite the good vibes, nobody in the building can say with certainty how Mannion will handle live bullets. Training camp will be the first real test — not just for the players learning a new scheme, but for the coordinator installing it.
“I’ve really enjoyed being around him and just his desire,” Sirianni said. “And I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with him.”
If Sirianni hadn’t hired Mannion, someone else likely would have this cycle or the next. The bigger question hanging over Philadelphia’s offense heading into 2026 isn’t whether Mannion is talented. It’s whether a first-time play-caller can handle the moment when the lights are brightest and the answers aren’t in a scripted call sheet anymore.
