New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo talks identity, tempo: Eagles training camp observations

New York Times

a day ago

PHILADELPHIA — 'Smells like sunscreen,' Kevin Patullo said. That's the smell of summer, of training camp, of a horde of reporters ready to be roasted by the South Philly sun. It's also the smell of foresight, of preparation, of understanding the hazardous climate that will smolder you if you let it.
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Patullo, the Eagles' first-time offensive coordinator, understands this; he acknowledges the wealth of talent he's inherited and the bar that was set in Super Bowl LIX. Fielding anything less than consistent success risks being held to the flame. Patullo has witnessed both ire and elation since arriving in Philadelphia in 2021 as Nick Sirianni's passing game coordinator. He served under four play-callers during that span. Now, with his hands on the offense's controls at last, he accepts the responsibility that comes with that power.
Of the actual job, Patullo said, 'It feels the same.' A recent conversation with tight ends coach Jason Michael reinforced that feeling. Patullo has already talked to these people. He's just talking to everyone more in his new role. He said he enjoys this expansion. He's now free to roam the practice field, spending time with each offensive unit. He especially enjoys conversations with the offensive linemen at the start of practice, absorbing their input on the concepts they're about to install. Patullo's predecessor, Kellen Moore, relished in this, too. It was partly at the request of the offensive line that the 2024 Eagles leaned even harder into their run game after the Week 5 bye.
The identity of this year's offense is only beginning to form, but foundational principles remain. The Sirianni-era Eagles have been mostly run-oriented. Only in 2023 — under then-offensive coordinator Brian Johnson — did they pass more than they ran. The philosophy deepened after the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley; last season they ran the ball more times per game than any Eagles team since 1978. Patullo was asked Saturday if the Eagles offense is still run-oriented at its foundation.
'Yeah, I think we're still the Eagles offense,' Patullo said. 'I don't think that'll change. I think it starts with the run game up front, and then we just build from there. And then, obviously, we'd like to try new things here and there, and we'll see how that goes throughout training camp and where it leads us to.'
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Sirianni emphasized those 'new things' during a June roundtable with reporters. Yes, Patullo had worked under Sirianni for eight years (four each in Philly and Indianapolis), but 'not every one of his ideas has gotten in.' Now Patullo is 'able to get those ideas going and flowing,' Sirianni said, 'and a lot of them look really good.' The extent of the newness remains to be seen — likely because it has yet to be fully installed. The first three practices contained familiar go-to's: a run game reinforced by pulling blockers, receivers freed up by mesh concepts, run-pass option plays and vertical passing attacks. There are small adjustments within those concepts.
'I think Kevin's been doing a good job of switching a few things up, kind of changing up things that he thinks is gonna work,' tight end Dallas Goedert said. 'And we go out there and try it in practice and sometimes we're going to the meeting room and tweaking it again just because there's so many adjustments in the game of football and you just gotta continually change and evolve to stay ahead of the curve.'
A potential Patullo-led adaptation appeared in Wednesday's practice, when the Eagles dedicated an entire period to their up-tempo offense. The Eagles have gone up-tempo at a moderate rate during the Sirianni era; they ranked 17th in the NFL with 43 total plays that happened with 25 seconds or fewer in between snaps, according to TruMedia. Their highest usage of plays at that tempo (70, seventh in the NFL) was in 2022, under then-offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Patullo appreciates what the up-tempo game can do for their offense.
'Yeah, I think in general when you can push the tempo as an offense, now you put the defense in stress, right?' Patullo said. 'So that's something we want to continue to do and just kind of operate faster. I think that's something that can help everybody. It gives us more time to see things and just operate with more efficiency.'
Kelee Ringo is finding out he still has things to learn via his one-on-one matchups. The third-year cornerback, who's in competition with Adoree' Jackson to start opposite Quinyon Mitchell, was challenged deep three times during Saturday's drills against the first-team offense. A coach flagged Ringo for pass interference for climbing atop A.J. Brown on a deep ball from Jalen Hurts. Later, Hurts struck DeVonta Smith along the right sideline on a third-and-long situation. Near the end of practice, Brown made an impressive over-the-shoulder catch on a deep, third-and-10 throw along the right sideline with Ringo covering him closely.
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That last catch mostly underlined Brown's considerable skill. The three-time Pro Bowler flung the football high into the air after making the catch, reinforcing that its difficulty was something to be celebrated. Still, Christian Parker, the Eagles' defensive passing game coordinator, pulled Ringo aside and personally gave him coaching points. Brown had created separation just as the ball arrived, a move Ringo didn't see because he was looking back toward the quarterback — not inherently a wrong choice, but one that requires its own technique.
'You've got to be able to be sticky on them, you know,' Ringo said after practice. 'Because as the ball gets there, receivers are going to want to create room to be able to fade away at the last second. You know, when I was looking inside, he was able to do that.'
Ringo's progress is one of the most important storylines of training camp. The Eagles made few investments at cornerback after releasing Darius Slay — a reflection of both their budget priorities and confidence in their 2023 fourth-round pick. If Ringo doesn't establish himself as a reliable option, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio must mitigate the danger of that position becoming a liability. Adoree' Jackson, a reserve cornerback for the Giants last season, is still rotating with Ringo with the first-team defense, and Mac McWilliams, a fifth-round rookie, took two first-team reps in place of Mitchell during a Wednesday team drill.
If Cooper DeJean starts taking reps again at cornerback in base packages, it will be a sign that Fangio believes there's a potential weakness there. Fangio, who is testing DeJean at safety and cornerback in base packages, characterized the experiment as 'an evolution,' and 'a lot of it will depend upon how well we do at those positions with the other guys.' Ringo said he '100 percent' views that as an opportunity to prove that he belongs to stay on the field as much as possible.
'I just feel like I just wanna come out there and put my best foot forward, and man, just give (Fangio) no choice,' Ringo said.
The Eagles fielded their Dime package for the first time in training camp on Saturday. Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown played safety; DeJean and second-round rookie Drew Mukuba played in the slot. The first-team defense fielded this unit at least four total times.
Mukuba's involvement is most notable. He started at free safety as a true freshman at Clemson, but moved to nickel for two seasons after former defensive coordinator Brent Venables became Oklahoma's head coach. Mukuba transferred to Texas for his final season partly because he felt like he was plateauing at nickel, and he recorded a career-high five interceptions after switching back to free safety. Still, the Eagles viewed Mukuba's experience in the slot as something they could cultivate.
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On draft day, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman emphasized how 'it's really hard to find cover safeties and guys who have the ability come down and play over the slot, play in the middle of the field, have natural instincts, play the ball.' Mukuba's possessions of those traits were partly why the Eagles decided to draft a safety in the second round for the first time since 2011. That they're already deploying him in Dime packages with the first-team defense is significant.
DeJean remains the team's starting nickel. McWilliams has been taking nickel reps with the second-team unit. That Mukuba hasn't yet taken reps at nickel suggests Fangio sees Mukuba as a safety-only, at least for now. Former defensive back Avonte Maddox was a backup safety last year and was often deployed in Dime packages. Mukuba could have a similar role with similar responsibilities.
In Dime, Ringo dislodged a Hurts pass intended for Jahan Dotson on a short out along the left sideline during an 11-on-11 series. Hurts was later forced to lob a pass out of bounds, in the direction of Smith, covered closely by Mitchell. Mukuba, playing Dime with the second-team defense, later collided with Danny Gray as the wide receiver made a diving catch downfield. Mukuba left the field and kneeled next to trainers along the sideline. Practice ended a few plays later, and Mukuba walked to the locker room.
Kenyon Green returns to practice: Green, whom the Eagles acquired in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade, practiced for the first time in training camp on Saturday after initially being sidelined with a knee injury. He debuted at left guard with the third-team offense in the first sequence of 11-on-11 drills. Saturday's rotations were… First team: LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Lane Johnson. Second team: LT Kendall Lamm, LG Brett Toth, C Drew Kendall, RG Matt Pryor, RT Darian Kinnard. Third team: LT Myles Hinton, LG Kenyon Green, C Kendall, RG Trevor Keegan, RT Cameron Williams.
Sydney Brown on his first full offseason under Fangio: The third-year safety, who underwent ACL surgery at the end of the 2023 season, is entering his first training camp under Fangio. He returned in Week 7 of the 2024 season and played in 11 games, mostly on special teams. Brown said 'as much as I wanted to be 100 percent (then), I wasn't fully 100 percent yet. And now my knee's feeling perfect. And I feel right where I need to be.' A year ago, Brown could only stand far behind the defense during training camp practices and shadow the action. Now, he's rotating with Mukuba with the first-team defense in a competition for the starting job opposite Reed Blankenship. 'I'm just doing my job,' Brown said. 'I think every single day you build trust and respect. I think that's the only thing I can do. That's the only thing I focus on.'
Quinyon Mitchell continues to impress: The 2024 first-round pick and runner-up for defensive rookie of the year is performing with promise through three training camp practices. On Tuesday, Mitchell, who is playing left cornerback partly to train for traveling in man coverage, swatted loose a deep challenge from Hurts down the right sideline intended for Brown. On Saturday, Mitchell swatted away yet another deep challenge along the right sideline — this time against Smith. Brown and Smith are generally snagging their targets against other defensive backs. It's notable that Mitchell is defending them so consistently.
Cooper DeJean challenged for first time at safety: DeJean was tested for the first time in coverage while playing safety. In a red-zone, 11-on-11 drill, the Eagles fielded their base defense on a second-and-5 situation inside the 15-yard line. DeJean defended Smith on an RPO play; Hurts hummed a pass to Smith, who caught it and fell near the goal line.
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Jihaad Campbell plays in Dime and on the edge: The No. 31 pick continued to play off-ball linebacker mostly with the second-team defense alongside Smael Mondon on Saturday. But Campbell was notably deployed as the first-team defense's only linebacker on a Dime snap. Campbell also played along the edge for one play during red-zone drills with the second-team defense, battling tight end Nick Muse against on a run play. The useage underlines the versatility the Eagles believe Campbell possesses, both in coverage and as a rusher.
(Photo of Patullo: Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)