Adjust or Collapse: The Eagles Must Change Their Offensive Scheme

Having flashbacks to 2023 yet? It’s hard not to with the way this Eagles offense has stalled out like an early 2000s sedan. At least in 2023, they showed dominance early on. So far this year, it’s difficult to find a game where the entire offensive unit thrived, let alone two in a row.

Both the 2023 and 2025 Eagles share a similar problem: the offensive scheme is defective, and there have been few adjustments made. In 2023, when offensive playcalling failed to meet expectations, Nick Sirianni did not strip away the duties from Brian Johnson. In 2023, with offensive playcalling currently failing, Sirianni continues to ride with Kevin Patullo.

Same story, different year.

And by now, I’m sure every Eagles fan is tired of hearing Patullo’s name. Whether they think he should be on the next plane out of Philadelphia, or they think Patullo is being used as a scapegoat, and problems lie elsewhere. Either way, you are probably correct; the Eagles are falling short of expectations in offensive departments that don’t run through Patullo, such as run blocking.

However, an answer for this withering offense is hidden in plain sight. For too long this season, we have seen Jalen Hurts, a few yards behind Cam Jurgens, with Saquon Barkley lined up beside him — a formation best used for pocket passers. To be exact, the Eagles have utilized the shotgun formation on 78.2% of their offensive snaps. That ranks sixth highest in football.

The five teams below the Eagles (Commanders, Falcons, Bengals, Chiefs, and Saints) have combined for only 20 wins this season.

Warren Sharp, of Sharp Football Analysis, notes that the Eagles ran the shotgun formation in 29 plays on Sunday night. They averaged 3.2 yards per play in those 29 instances. On the other hand, Hurts was under center for eight plays, and in those eight, the Eagles averaged 9.4 yards per play.

just wanted to check something…

Eagles offense IN SHOTGUN (29 plays)

3.2 yards/play
2.9 yards/rush
3.4 yards/pass

Eagles offense UNDER CENTER (8 plays)

9.4 yards/play
7.6 yards/rush
22.0 yards/pass

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 9, 2025

It’s obviously not that simple, but it surely seems so.

The prevalence of Hurts taking snaps from shotgun also indicates the Eagles are bottom-feeders in play-action rate, with a staggering 12.7% — good for the fourth lowest in the league. Play-action is one of the easiest ways to draw safeties down and open up the passing game, also working inversely. And more often than not this season, play-action has been a successful tool for the Eagles’ offense, yet it’s rarely used.

Another easy way to keep the defense on its toes is to use pre-snap motion. Believe it or not, the Eagles rank the fourth lowest in pre-snap motion, with a rate of 42.4%. It feels too obvious to be neglected by the coaching staff. It’s offensive playcalling 101; utilize these tools, and defenses will have to solve a more difficult puzzle.

To put it plainly, literally, this offense is about as vanilla as the Turkey Hill ice cream you eat for dessert. It’s the same formations, similar route concepts, and lackluster runs. Defenses watch film on this Eagles offense like it’s an episode of Dora the Explorer and Patullo is The Map, showcasing repetitive offensive series.

Something has to change in the scheme, because relying on Hurts as a pocket-passer for the majority of the game is not where the Eagles have thrived in recent years. Get Hurts moving, and reading plays as they flesh out; use the RPO, use the designed draw, use the read option — the path to success is drawn on a whiteboard from last year, they’re just too stubborn to use it.

I would like to think that the Eagles are capable of making adjustments mid-season and changing the scheme to improve the offense, but nothing changed following the bye week, and that’s where we saw major adjustments last season. Perhaps this season, it’ll take a three-game losing streak to spark the change.

Get New Articles Emailed Right to Your Inbox: