Sirianni, the Eagles coach since 2021, surely would prefer continuity, but has become a seasoned vet in building a new staff and offensive identity each season.
“It’s the way of the NFL,” he said Thursday. “That’s a great thing about football is it brings people together that you probably wouldn’t have ever met otherwise. But there’s a lot of work obviously that goes into … all the things that have to be taught and thought through.”
Steichen (2022) and Moore (2024) helped Hurts lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl and subsequently landed head coaching jobs. The others couldn’t live up to the high expectations in Philadelphia — Pederson’s final season at 4-11-1, the 1-6 December/January in 2023 with Johnson, and last year’s [flame-out in the wild-card round](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/11/sports/49ers-eagles-wild-card-playoffs-score/) with Patullo.
Last year’s offense, coming off a Super Bowl victory, was rife with dysfunction. The Eagles dropped from seventh to 19th in points scored, A.J. Brown’s relationship soured with Hurts and the organization, and Patullo had his house egged by fans in the middle of the night.
It’s up to Mannion, a 34-year-old former backup quarterback who played as recently as 2023, to see if he can get Hurts and the Eagles back on track.
Mannion’s arrival is the most significant change in Sirianni’s six seasons. The previous offensive coaches ran an iteration of Sirianni’s scheme, himself a former offensive coordinator. But Mannion is a disciple of **Sean McVay**, **Kevin O’Connell**, and **Matt LaFleur** — who all run a variation of the Shanahan/West Coast offense that is heavy on zone run plays and play-action passes. The new scheme meant the departure of longtime and highly respected offensive line coach **Jeff Stoutland**, who was replaced after 13 years by **Chris Kuper**, the former Broncos offensive lineman.
“Every other year, even though there was a new coordinator, the offense was kind of the same — just small tweaks here and there,” said CBS analyst **Ross Tucker**, who is part of the Eagles’ preseason broadcast team. “This offense is totally different, and they’re not going back. They’re doing outside zone, bootlegs, play action — and the success or failure of this season is going to be based on how well they integrate with this new offensive system.”
Tight end **Dallas Goedert**, entering his ninth season, has had to go back to school this training camp and teach himself a new language.
“It’s the first time in five years learning new formations, new names for concepts,” he said. “Took a little bit more studying, but we get the benefit of being here all day — practice, walk-through, watch them in meetings. So the first time you hear them, it takes a little bit, but now it’s almost coming second nature.”
Sirianni said the toughest part about the lack of continuity has been having to start over from scratch each year with situational football. But it also has helped broaden his perspective and see things in different ways.
“It’s a long process, but it’s always fun going through it with new guys,” he said. “Not only are they learning about kind of the way we attack … but you’re also getting to learn how they’ve done it in the past. That’s great collaboration because sometimes you’re like, ‘Hmm, I haven’t thought about it that way.’ You find the best path for the 2026 Eagles.”
The Eagles are coming off a disappointing season and have lost a few star players (Brown, **Milton Williams**) from their 2024 Super Bowl team. They should still have an elite offensive line anchored by tackles **Lane Johnson** and **Jordan Mailata**, a dominant defensive front headlined by tackles **Jordan Davis** and **Jalen Carter**, a terrific secondary with **Quinyon Mitchell** and **Cooper DeJean**, and a trio of great skill players in **Saquon Barkley**, **DeVonta Smith**, and Goedert.
Replacing Brown won’t be easy, but former Packer **Dontayvion Wicks** had a great two days of practice as one of Hurts’s favorite targets. They also drafted **Makai Lemon** in the first round, though he only put on pads for the first time Thursday.
The Eagles aren’t generating as much buzz as, say, the Rams and Seahawks, but still view themselves as top NFC contenders.
“I don’t want to be the guy that says Super Bowl or bust, but that’s what it kind of feels like, especially in the city of Philadelphia,” Davis said. “The standard is high for us, and we have a high standard for ourselves.”
A few other notes from the Patriots-Eagles joint practice:
▪ **Christian Gonzalez** came out to the lower practice field at the end of Thursday’s session to catch up with Eagles cornerback DeJean and others, and definitely seemed to be walking with a little limp.
Gonzalez has missed six practices and two preseason games since tweaking his ankle on Aug. 10, and hadn’t been seen on the field or sidelines. Certainly, Gonzalez could be taking his time returning to the field due to the slow pace of his contract negotiations. But Patriots coach **Mike Vrabel** said he and Gonzalez are “absolutely” on the same page, and Gonzalez does appear to be nursing an injury.
▪ Most players, when asked about joint practices, give boilerplate answers about how beneficial it is to get to work against another team. Not Eagles star running back Barkley.
“I’m the wrong guy to ask because I hate joint practice, to be honest,” he said. “More times than not, nothing good can come out of it. When you have the work, it’s good, but then you get to pushing, to shoving … and it’s immature when we get to that level.”
▪ Brown finally caught up with Hurts at the end of Thursday’s practice on the lower practice field. But if they wanted to give the impression that their relationship is fine, they should have embraced in front of the fans and media.
▪ Eagles defensive coordinator **Vic Fangio** and linebacker **Zack Baun** said they liked practicing against the Patriots because they feature a true fullback, **Reggie Gilliam**.
“We haven’t seen a fullback all camp, and if we see a fullback-like body in the backfield, it’s a tight end, and it’s not often,” Baun said. “So it’s cool to go against a fullback, something you always see a couple times per year and got to be ready for it.”
▪ The Eagles traded for former Vikings pass rusher **Jonathan Greenard** and gave him $50 million fully guaranteed over the next two years, but he strained a pectoral over the summer and may not be ready for Week 1.
“I don’t know when Greenard will be back,” Fangio said. “That injury he got in our weight room is going to take some time to heal.”
▪ A scary situation at the end of a hot practice Thursday when a Philadelphia reporter struggled with dehydration near the Eagles media setup on the lower practice field. Several quick-acting Eagles — among them Johnson, Barkley, Mailata, Eagles PR chief **Bob Lange**, and several coaches and staffers — immediately jumped in to keep the reporter hydrated and lift him into a cart. The reporter was taken by ambulance to the hospital and discharged later Thursday, per the team.
An update on injuries, the only news that really matters in training camp:
▪ The Ravens lost Pro Bowl center **Tyler Linderbaum** to the Raiders in free agency, and are having a tough time finding his replacement. Seven-year veteran **Danny Pinter** was in line for the starting job, but tore his patella tendon last week and is likely out for the season.
The job potentially falls to former Seahawks and Browns center **Ethan Pocic**, who started 97 games over nine seasons and signed a one-year deal in Baltimore this summer, but he’s eight months removed from a torn Achilles and is coming on slowly.
▪ The Chargers may also have lost their starting center when **Tyler Biadasz** suffered an ACL injury last week. Their answer could be former Patriots first-round pick **Cole Strange**, who played a little center in New England. Strange followed offensive coordinator **Mike McDaniel** from Miami to Los Angeles this offseason, and has been locking down a starting job at right guard this camp.
▪ The Bears had a great safety tandem last year in **Kevin Byard** (first team All-Pro) and **Jaquan Brisker**, and their decision to let both walk in free agency (Byard to New England, Brisker to Pittsburgh) will be under a microscope all season.
Former Seahawks safety **Coby Bryant** was signed for $40 million over three years to replace Byard, but Bears coach **Ben Johnson** said Bryant will be out 4-6 months after suffering a knee injury early in camp.
**Cam Lewis**, who only started 14 games in six seasons in Buffalo, is the next man up. And the Bears are now counting on rookie **Dillon Thieneman**, the 25th pick in April, to anchor the back end.
▪ Texans receiver **Jayden Higgins**, last year’s 34th pick who had 525 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie, tore his ACL and will miss his entire sophomore season. Saints rookie receiver **Jordyn Tyson**, drafted eighth in April to pair with **Chris Olave**, will be out until early October most likely with a hamstring injury. Buccaneers second-year receiver **Emeka Egbuka** is questionable for Week 1 with a toe sprain.
Saints veteran running back **Alvin Kamara** is also out at least a month after straining his MCL, and Jets running back **Breece Hall** will miss the final weeks of camp, and potentially Week 1, with a groin injury. But the Colts avoided disaster with tight end **Tyler Warren**, who will only miss about a week with a groin injury.
▪ From “The Cardinals will always be the Cardinals” files: They gave 14 touches to **Jeremiyah Love** in the first half of a meaningless preseason game, and now he is questionable for Week 1 after suffering a high ankle sprain. It’s dubious enough that a rebuilding team used the No. 3 pick on a running back. To give Love a heavy workload in the preseason is borderline malpractice.
The Bengals’ 6-11 finish last year, their third straight season without making the playoffs, resulted in zero heads rolling. Just about every coach, from **Zac Taylor** to the coordinators to the position coaches, is back for another season. **Joe Burrow** will throw to the same receivers, hand off to the same running backs, and be protected by the same linemen. Only the defense had a few additions, headlined by defensive tackle **Dexter Lawrence**.
But there is a sense that 2026 is the final ride for a team that hasn’t replicated the success of 2021-22, when the Bengals reached one Super Bowl and almost another.
Burrow may want a new contract next year when he has three years and about $120 million left on his deal, and given the Bengals’ history with **Carson Palmer** and all their tightfisted negotiations, there’s no guarantee Burrow will get that deal from Cincinnati. And though Taylor’s contract runs through 2027, a fourth straight year with no playoffs could seal his fate.
Burrow agreed with a question last week that it’s “now or never.”
“I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have, and that I want us to have as an organization, to go and make it happen,” he said. “And I’m tired of saying, ‘Next year, next year, next year.’ This is it. Life is too short to keep pushing things down the road.
“I’m trying to instill some urgency and some intensity in everybody to go and be great every day and try to go make it happen.”
San Francisco coach **Kyle Shanahan** dismissed the idea that star running back **Christian McCaffrey** is “holding in” for a new contract, saying he’s dealing with “tightness” without providing any specifics. But while **Jahmyr Gibbs** and **Bijan Robinson** both make just over $22 million per year, and Barkley and **Jonathan Taylor** are over $20 million, McCaffrey is making just $12.3 million this year and $17.5 million next year. If anyone deserves a raise, it’s McCaffrey, who led the NFL with 413 touches last year … Somehow, a six-year-old stadium that received $750 million in public funds already needs more money for “improvements.” The Las Vegas Stadium Authority is seeking $158 million, of which $75 million would be from the public, for a new “front door” and other enhancements to the plazas outside Allegiant Stadium … While **Devon Witherspoon’s** four-year extension came with a record $132 million in new money, Gonzalez and the Patriots might be more comfortable with a shorter deal — perhaps a three-year extension with $105 million in new money. He’d still be the highest-paid cornerback at $35 million per year, but would reach free agency again a year sooner … The Seahawks beat out seven other teams to sign cornerback **Terrion Arnold**, per _Hard Knocks_, but didn’t seem to realize that he would go on the commissioner’s exempt list as soon as he signs with a team — meaning the Seahawks would have him on paid leave, potentially for the entire season. It appears they are trying to unwind the deal now, since the signing was never made official, and they signed former Cowboys cornerback **Trevon Diggs** to a one-year deal … For someone who loves the game so much, **Tom Brady** seems to have a lot of issues with today’s players. His latest yelling at clouds was directed at players who sit out preseason games. “When you’re a football player, and it’s football season, your job is to play football,” he wrote on Instagram. Brady took in the Texans-Raiders joint practice last week, and seems to be around the Raiders a lot this August before leaving for his Fox job once the season begins … Cool to see **Luke Maye** in Foxborough last week taking a rare opportunity to watch his little brother, **Drake**, take on the Eagles in joint practices. A forward for the Kobe Storks in the Japanese Professional Basketball League, Luke Maye’s schedule runs from September to May, and Japan is 13 hours ahead of New England — putting 1 p.m. games at 2 a.m. “I like night games,” he quipped.
Ben Volin can be reached at [ben.volin@globe.com](mailto:ben.volin@globe.com).