The hope was that when the Philadelphia Eagles hired offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, he would change the look of the offense.
While there have been some struggles at training camp, it has looked like things are getting on the right track for the unit. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is improving, and receivers like Dontayvion Wicks and Darius Cooper are emerging as potential stars within this offense.
Eagles fans tried not to set expectations entering the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens since the game doesn't count toward the season. After that 24-7 loss for the Eagles, though, it's hard not to think about what went wrong.
Eagles fans can't feel 100% great about Sean Mannion's debut in preseason
Before the final offensive drive of the game, the Eagles' offense had six offensive drives that ended in a three-and-out. They only had a net gain of 45 yards.
Thankfully, the Eagles went on a 59-yard scoring drive that ended in a Cole Payton touchdown. Except Payton ran the drive, using his legs on plays designed for passes, not QB runs.
In total, the Eagles had 159 yards of offense, only had six first downs, and never converted any of their nine third downs. That has to be some kind of sign of concern, right?
Yes, it's only the preseason, and most starters were not playing. It could (and hopefully should) look different when Hurts and company are in the lineup.
Still, fans are going to be okay with veteran quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee combining for 55 yards passing in three quarters? That is alarming.
This was Mannion's first game, and he should get a pass. He is working out the kinks as a play-caller and trying to figure out what will help him succeed. That is the purpose of the preseason.
What is concerning, though, is the lack of firepower the offense showed and the creativity that fans were promised. It's understandable that the Eagles will probably limit their playbook and not show their best plays, but everyone else in the NFL is doing the same thing and has had much better success than the Eagles.
The only positive takeaway from that performance was the play of many of their young offensive linemen. Even after concerns about offensive line depth entering training camp, they held up the quarterbacks pretty well in pass protection.
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Look, the "it's only preseason" crowd can scold all they want about this, but the Eagles' offense didn't look good, and Mannion needs to get things figured out. This is not the kind of offense fans need to see when the regular season begins. He should use the preseason to fix it.
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