March 19, 2026
Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images
Lane Johnson seems optimistic about 2026 for the Eagles offense.
Lane Johnson is optimistic about Sean Mannion and the new Eagles offense, if anything, because it looks like it will afford him and Jordan Mailata some help.
"I'm excited about this new system," the veteran right tackle told former players turned analysts Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth on their latest "Fitz and Whit" podcast uploaded Wednesday. "I think it has some [Kyle Shanahan] implements in it, and I think it'll be maybe easier on the edge for Jordan and I, maybe not as much isolation.
"When you run some wide zone like the 49ers, and the guy comes under you but you're not worried about it, you just keep going, I can get used to that. So I'm excited. I've watched these offenses from afar and been like 'Damn, that looks pretty fun.'"
And maybe it eases the burden on the 35-year-old, too, along with the 28-year-old Mailata on the left side.
Mannion was hired from the Packers in January as the new offensive coordinator to overhaul an Eagles unit that struggled to consistently be effective in 2025.
A former quarterback and a branch of the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree under Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, Mannion is expected to bring the Eagles up to the modern West Coast offense, which utilizes play action and more snaps from under center, and seems to sound like music to Johnson's ears.
"There's nothing better than starting a game with a like a three-step quick pass," Johnson said on the podcast. "If you throw a bootleg in there in the first three or four plays, it's like 'Hey, I'm gonnna have a great day today.'
"There's nothing better than the early-game bootleg. You know, in college, it used to be the early game cut pro to get those jitters out...I'm a big fan of that."
Lane Johnson discusses what the Eagles offense will look like next season 👀
— Fitz & Whit (@fitzandwhit) March 18, 2026
"I'm excited for this new system." pic.twitter.com/AHGAIBXPQ2
The offensive changes, however, did bring on a tough goodbye.
Soon after Mannion's hiring, longtime and beloved offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announced he was leaving the team, and taking up his place will be Chris Kuper from the Vikings, who better matches the needs of the offense Mannion will be installing.
Kuper will undoubtedly be working under a heavy microscope among fans as it's rolled out, though, and may take some adjustments from Johnson and the rest of the offensive linemen, as well, since Stoutland was the only O-line coach most of them have known as pros.
"He's the guy that just always got the best out of me," said Johnson, who had been with Stoutland since his rookie year in 2013. "He knew how to motivate me. He knew what buttons to push, and I just felt like we were very similar in that we wanted to be the best that we could be while we're in it."
"It was very unexpected," Johnson continued about Stoutland's departure from the Eagles. "But when we don't perform to expectations, things like this happen. It's unfortunate. The thing about him, though, is I think he'll be around some, in some capacity this year, so it's not like he's a long ways away. But yeah, I was kind of taken back."
But he isn't closing himself off to change because of it, going on to speak highly of Kuper and Mannion, the latter of which Johnson sees on a similar path to former Eagles OC and current Colts head coach Shane Steichen.
"The conversations I've had with Coach Kuper, he seems like a really cool guy," Johnson added. "He spent a number of years in the league, played at a high level, and I'm excited about Sean Mannion joining our staff, too.
"I think [Mannion] will have kind of a Shane Steichen type of trajectory, so I'm excited to get to work with those guys."
You can check out Johnson's full interview with Fitzpatrick and Whitworth HERE, or via the embed below:
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