Kevin Patullo faced the media on Tuesday after an up-and-down game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the press conference, right after fielding questions about A.J. Browns antics on X, he was asked what the Eagles' offensive identity was. He didn't give the clearest answer, but in a rambling response, he did provide some insight into that identity, or lack thereof.
Last year, the identity resided in the offensive line and forcing defenses to stop Saquon Barkley on the ground before anything else, but that hasn't worked nearly as well this year. Patullo made sure to point out that the Eagles have played three excellent defenses in their first four games, adding that the offense is trying to "feel their way through [the game]," as they go.
He also said that they've found some things have worked and others haven't. That's all very tempered coach speak, but what it means is that the Eagles are still searching for their offensive identity, and that's okay.
Despite early season struggles, the Eagles' offense will be just fine
The identity last year was Barkley, and the rushing game, but that identity didn't emerge right away. The Birds also played Tampa Bay in Week 4 last year, and the offense played one of its worst games of the season. Injuries were a part of it, but Saquon was healthy in that game, and the team still struggled. It took until after the bye week and a sluggish game against the Browns for the offense to truly find its flow, so it's not the end of the world that they haven't yet found that true identity this year.
When he remarked that the Eagles had played tough defenses, Patullo also noted that the team had another formidable defense, the Denver Broncos, to prepare for this week. However, he added an important note, saying, "It's great that [we're playing these defenses] now and not later," and he's right.
Back in 2023, the Eagles' offense was able to largely coast throughout the early part of the year as they played some lesser defenses. Then they got stoned by a terrific defense in the 49ers and weren't able to become creative quickly enough to beat defenses down the stretch. This year, there may be some struggles, but the team figuring out what will and won't work against good defenses early on will help them tremendously as the season rolls on.
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The offense isn't moving as smoothly as fans would like it to right now, and they certainly haven't played a complete game to this point, but the lack of identity and production isn't going to cost them their season; it just needs time to find itself, and there's a lot of season left to do that.