Sean Mannion – Philadelphia Eagles
As of early 2024, Sean Mannion was still on an NFL practice squad as a veteran quarterback. Two years later, he’s the offensive coordinator and play-caller for one of the most talented offenses in the league. The former QB and 2015 third-round pick spent his career as a backup in the league, including two years under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, and is looking to make his mark in the NFL as a coach after his playing career. Mannion spent his final two seasons in Green Bay working as an offensive assistant before becoming the Packers’ quarterbacks coach in 2025. He helped develop Jordan Love and, perhaps more impressively, Malik Willis this season, who surprised with his play late in the year.
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Matt LaFleur hasn’t had many direct disciples who have become playmakers, but he is part of the vast coaching tree of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Nathaniel Hackett went from being LaFleur’s offensive coordinator to being the Broncos’ head coach, leading Denver to just two offenses in 2022. In the last three seasons without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ identity has been built on running the ball while also being creative in the passing game. The biggest difference in Mannion’s offense compared to the Eagles’ 2025 playmaker, Kevin Patulla, might be the high speed of movement.
The Packers’ offense, as well as the entire Shanahan/McVay tree, uses a lot of movement, while the Eagles ranked 28th in 2025, a big difference compared to their 2024 season. Kellen Moore moved on after that brilliant season in Philadelphia to become the Saints’ play-caller. When the Eagles fell to the bottom in motion, the Saints were in fifth place.
While he’s nowhere near a guarantee, the potential Mannion offers the Eagles is high. Saquon Barkley can remain in a high-volume offense, while Jalen Hurts can receive easier opportunities in a more creative offense. The biggest benefactor may be AJ Brown after his stagnant role in 2025. The Eagles used Brown on the outside at an extreme rate, which made his role more difficult in a low-motion offense.
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Declan Doyle – Baltimore Ravens
At 29 years old, Declan Doyle is easily the youngest playmaker in the NFL. However, unlike the other two rookies on this list, Doyle served as offensive coordinator last season when he joined Ben Johnson’s regime in Chicago.
If Doyle is able to recreate Ben Johnson’s success in the slightest, he will become a huge move for Baltimore.
Johnson and Doyle’s offense was known for its play-by-play passing. Caleb Williams made great progress in Year 2 in a largely unknown offense that included 34% of his pass attempts via play action, second only to Sean McVay’s Rams. So the question is: how is Lamar Jackson doing in the action game?
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In his wonderful overall QB1 season in 2024, Jackson averaged the highest fantasy points per play on play-action passes. However, in a struggling 2025 season…he’s still No. 1. Seventeenth in fantasy points per game, but best in play-action passing.
The Ravens’ personnel and overall trends were largely similar to Chicago’s in 2025. Doyle, especially as a coach who is the same age as his QB, has a low floor like most first-time play-callers, but his path to Baltimore has been what you want to see in a new hire.
David Blough – Washington Commanders
The real wild card of the carousel of plays is David Blough. Another former quarterback, who coached quarterbacks for just two seasons, but this time he’s an internal hire. Kliff Kingsbury is in Washington and, with him, one of the most unique offenses to ever grace the NFL. Their one-on-one offense would put star WRs on only one side of the field, run no-huddles twice as often as any other team, and have almost no snaps under center. Although this is often reflected in college, I would be surprised to see Blough attempt to recreate Kingsbury’s style.
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The Commanders’ offense had its weaknesses, but provided plenty of fantasy production with a healthy Jayden Daniels in 2024. The risk is similar to Philadelphia’s, but this time, with fewer role models and more to create from scratch. It will be an extremely difficult task for a young coach with a young quarterback.