PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — “Motion” was the keyword in the Philadelphia Eagles offense last season, for all the wrong reasons.
The NFL has trended toward pass catchers moving fluidly at the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped. The San Francisco 49ers used motion prior to the snap 70.2% of the time and the Kansas City Chiefs 60.5%, both of those teams reached the Super Bowl and were in the top four in offensive plays that had a player in motion.
The Eagles were noticeably dead last in that category at 26.4%, the only team in the NFL under 30%. Somehow, the Eagles were the only one of the bottom six teams in percentage of offensive plays with a player in motion that made the playoffs.
As a result, the offense was predictable. It was stale.
That’s why Nick Sirianni’s offense isn’t at the forefront of the Eagles’ game plan. In comes Kellen Moore, who is adding a fresh twist and a new offense to a roster that already has immense talen
More motion is included, which the Eagles’ playmakers are fully embracing.
“I think it’s going to be great,” DeVonta Smith said at a mandatory minicamp last week. “Get a new style of offense around. Let guys – not have more freedom – but be able to do things that we weren’t allowed to do. Move guys around, things like that. Overall, it’s always [good] to have a fresh start.”
Since Sirianni took over as head coach, the Eagles have set a receiver in motion on 30.1% of their plays – the fewest of any team in the NFL. The league average in that span was 47.0%.
Last season, it was 48.4%. As motion plays were going up, the Eagles using motion was going down.
The big plays were affected as a result. Philadelphia had 16 plays of 20-plus yards from Week 13 through 18, tied for 26th in the NFL. The seven plays of 25-plus yards were tied for 30th in the NFL, ahead of only the Carolina Panthers.
