There has not been a bigger mess on this Philadelphia Eagles team than the offense and their gross incompetence at playing football.
This unit ranks last in the NFL in total offense, with 260.2 yards per game. Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has struggled to get this unit where it needs to be.
With the bye week here, Mannion has a chance to review the unit as a whole and make some big changes if he wants to. The reality is that he needs to change three things quickly about this offense for the final eight games of the year if he wants to save his job at the end of the season.
3 changes Sean Mannion needs to make during Eagles' bye week
Bench Landon Dickerson and start Willie Lampkin at left guard
Dickerson has had a great career with the Eagles and has helped the team by winning a Super Bowl and earning two Pro Bowls. That said, he's just not playing well enough to warrant a starting job this season and beyond. It's time to let Lampkin get some starts and see if he could be the long-term solution at left guard.
In 169 pass-blocking snaps, Dickerson has allowed 15 pressures, four sacks, and one quarterback hit. Pro Football Focus graded him a 54.4 overall, ranking him 55th out of 75 eligible offensive guards. They also gave him a pass-blocking grade of 36.5 (ranked 70th) and a run-blocking grade of 65.0 (ranked 34th).
Lampkin allowed five pressures and one quarterback hit in 98 pass-blocking snaps. PFF gave him a 53.4 overall grade, a 49.8 pass-blocking grade, and a 65.0 run-blocking grade.
This is a tale of two different stories: Dickerson is a better run blocker, but Lampkin is a better pass blocker. Dickerson has shown enough to prove he no longer has what it takes to be a great starter. Lampkin went over 900 pass blocks in college at North Carolina without allowing a sack, so why not let him try left guard for the final eight games of the season?
Give Eli Stowers more snaps than Dallas Goedert at tight end
At this point in the season, nothing else is working on offense, and the Eagles need to change a few things. No offense to Goedert, who is a great player and, right now, the team's most important pass-catcher besides Makai Lemon (at least among the healthy players, excluding DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks).
Stowers has been getting more reps in this offense over the past three weeks, and he's about to take on a bigger role. The Eagles are pretty out of the playoff hunt, so they might as well let the second-round rookie play, even if he may not be 100% ready yet.
This season has been quiet for Stowers since he was on IR until the Week 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the last three contests, he has caught three passes (all in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders) for 53 yards, including a 34-yard completion.
With Hollywood Brown now released, the Eagles might be able to use Stowers more as an outside receiver or in the slot. There are creative ways for Mannion to get his young tight end involved, but he has to let him play and gain experience so he's in a better spot in 2027.
Eagles need to call for more deep ball passes in games
This Eagles passing game has been miserable to watch all season, with no creativity or big-play ability. Explosive plays used to be a big part of this offense, but that hasn't been the case this season. We'll ignore the lack of explosive plays in the running game since that is kind of a lost cause with a terrible offensive line in front of the backs, so they can't control that.
As for the passing game, this Eagles team has no big-play receivers, and that is evident in their games. Philly has created fewer pass plays of 20 or more yards than any other team in the NFL, with 14. They are also tied for the fourth-worst team in the NFL in pass plays of 40 or more yards, with three.
Keep in mind that all three plays of 40 or more yards came from Jalen Hurts, so Tanner McKee and Joe Milton III haven't been able to do anything since. This is where Mannion has to find a way to get the ball downfield for big yards.
Read more: Not everyone has forgotten that Jalen Hurts is still a solid NFL starting QB
We all know that Milton has the arm strength to do it, so why not let him rip it? This Eagles offense cannot survive without creating those big plays. Otherwise, they are doomed to remain the worst offense in the league.
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