New Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has the tough task of going through the roster to see which players are a perfect fit for his scheme and which ones need to go.
The good news for Mannion is that the talent level on this offense is insane, with most of them comfortable with changing schemes since the Eagles have had seven play callers in seven years. While the focus will be on ensuring quarterback Jalen Hurts is comfortable with Mannion and his scheme, there are other areas to address as well.
Mannion is bringing in the same offense that has helped teams like the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Green Bay Packers be successful over the last decade. There is a player on this Eagles team who is very familiar with the scheme and could potentially be a dangerous weapon in the offense.
Watch out for Elijah Mitchell and what he can do in the Eagles' backfield
Mitchell was a late addition to OTAs, joining a running back room that already had five players there. It was an interesting decision by general manager Howie Roseman, but it actually makes a ton of sense.
From 2021 through 2023, Mitchell thrived in this scheme as a member of the 49ers under head coach Kyle Shanahan. In Mitchell's rookie season, he ran for 963 yards and five touchdowns. Since then, he has gone for 560 yards and four touchdowns, with all being in San Francisco despite stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots afterward.
The big concern with Mitchell is the hamstring injury he suffered, which cost him the entire 2024 season. While it appears that he has recovered from that injury, he's bounced between two teams and hasn't really seen the field.
Roseman is taking a risk on Mitchell to be like his rookie season five years ago and get comfortable quickly in Mannion's scheme, which he is accustomed to. It's a calculated risk that won't hurt the Eagles at all, as they can still succeed without him, but could obviously use him more.
Philly's running backs have Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby as the top two guys on the depth chart. Mitchell's biggest competition at running back is Will Shipley and Dameon Pierce, both of whom have a massive advantage since they can help on kickoff return.
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Training camp is going to be a slugfest for Mitchell, but his knowledge of the offense should be enough to make him competitive. Mannion might be able to find some use for Mitchell if he can return to his 2021 form at running back.
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