The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles offense had a rocky start early into Week 1. However, even with their mistakes, they still put up 34 points and a win down in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was the first time fans could see the new Eagles offense under Kellen Moore. It’s safe to say Kellen Moore’s changes are a welcomed one.
Despite some questionable decisions from Jalen Hurts, the Eagles offense looked explosive. Even more important, the Eagles offense looked consistent and organized. They all look to be on the same page, and there must be a lot of credit given to Moore for that. Here are some differences in the Eagles offense from week 1.
“Bunches of Motion” in New Eagles Offense
Fans will be happy to know the Eagles had pre-snap motion on most of their offensive plays against the Green Bay Packers. After ranking towards the bottom in pre-snap motion last year, it’s good to see the Eagles’ offense modernized. Additionally, there were many bunch formations with a trio of receivers out wide or two tight ends stacked next to each other. These formations were not seen much last year and could be an integral part of their offense.
Even more interesting, much of the Eagles pre-snap motion had players either leaving or entering a bunch or stacking the tight ends. It can confuse defensive assignments in those bunches and inspire some creative ideas behind them. Eagles rookie running back Will Shipley even lined up as a receiver and would motion across the field out of the bunch. While there was not much apparent success with these ideas in week 1 it’s an interesting wrinkle to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Grant Calcaterra
Grant Calcaterra isn’t a new addition to this Eagles offense this season. However, he’s being utilized a lot more than in the past. The Eagles are still running a healthy amount of two tight end sets, which is a little worrying considering they only have two tight ends on the roster. What’s worse though, is that Calcaterra might not fit well into the offense. He struggled heavily as a blocker against the Packers, like when Eric Wilson moved him across the field.
Grant Calcaterra as a blocker 🤮 pic.twitter.com/AwMfe5YvN1
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) September 9, 2024
He doesn’t have enough sand in his pants to succeed as an in-line blocker, and he didn’t seem too involved in the passing game either, where he usually thrives. Overall, it was a poor game for him and the Eagles may have to rethink their personnel options. Maybe they felt that Jahan Dotson wasn’t up to speed with the playbook, and he will be on the field more in the coming weeks. However, the Calcaterra two tight end formations don’t seem very promising early in the season.
Saquon Barkey
Barkley has been getting a lot of praise for his week 1 performance and it’s deserved. Everyone knew the talent of Barkley and the Eagles offensive line would work together unlike with the New York Giants. However, Barkley went beyond that in Week 1. On his longest run of the night, Barkley did it himself with the Packers blowing the play up through the middle. But Barkley cuts, then bends around the pressure and takes off.
Saquon Barkley is having one of the greatest team debuts of all time.
📺: #GBvsPHI on Peacock pic.twitter.com/Hvx7tUzGkI
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2024
It’s not just about Barkley taking advantage of the open running lanes the Eagles create. It’s about what he can do when the play breaks down. Most other runningbacks take a loss on that play or maybe get back to the line of scrimmage. But Barkley makes magic that Eagles fans haven’t seen since LeSean McCoy. His impact on this team will be massive and cannot be understated. He should be a steady presence on this Eagles offense and win them games.
Final Eagles Offense Thoughts
Jalen Hurts won’t back off any doubters with his performance against the Packers. E still made plenty of great throws and runs in the game, but there’s always a handful of puzzling decisions. However, he may need more time to adjust to the new offensive scheme. In better news, Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith are still an unbelievable duo. They can run behind any secondary in the league and could’ve had more big plays last Friday night.
The offensive line in pass protection was unbelievable against a good and deep Packers defensive front. They weren’t as spectacular as run blockers in that regard, but the field in Brazil wasn’t the best surface to be playing on. All in all, despite some rough mistakes from Hurts, fans should be excited about the new Eagles offense. However, it’s not just about how they do early but how they can adapt to defenses later in the season. For week 2, they host a good defense in the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night.
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
