The coaching carousel has been active as ever this offseason, with over half of 2025’s play-callers being replaced for next season. Of the 17 spots to fill, 15 of the playcalling roles are set, with a unique group of three (two of whom are former NFL quarterbacks!) who have never called plays in the NFL before. Fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth breaks down what we should expect from the offenses built by the first-time play-callers.
Sean Mannion – Philadelphia Eagles
In early 2024, Sean Mannion was still on an NFL practice squad as a veteran quarterback. Two years later, and he’s the offensive coordinator and play-caller for one of the most talented offenses in the league. The former QB and third-round pick in 2015 spent his career as a backup in the league, including two years with Sean McVay in Los Angeles and is looking to make his mark in the NFL as a coach following his playing career. Mannion spent his last two seasons in Green Bay working as an offensive assistant before becoming the Packers’ quarterback coach in 2025. He helped develop Jordan Love and, perhaps more impressively, Malik Willis this season, who surprised with his play at the end of the year.
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Matt LaFleur has not had many direct disciples go on to become play-callers, but he is part of the vast coaching tree of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Nathaniel Hackett went from LaFleur’s offensive coordinator to the Broncos head coach, leading Denver to only outscore two offenses in 2022. In the last three seasons without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers identity has been built on running the ball while being creative in the passing game. The biggest difference in Mannion’s offense compared to the Eagles’ 2025 play-caller, Kevin Patulla, could be the high rate of motion.
The Packers offense, as well as the whole Shanahan/McVay tree, uses plenty of motion, while the Eagles ranked 28th in 2025, a stark difference compared to their 2024 season. Kellen Moore moved on after that one brilliant season in Philadelphia to become the Saints’ play-caller. As the Eagles fell to the bottom in motion, the Saints ranked fifth.
Although it’s nowhere near a guarantee, the potential Mannion provides to the Eagles is high. Saquon Barkley can stay in a high-volume offense, while Jalen Hurts can receive easier opportunities in a more creative attack. The biggest benefactor may be A.J. Brown after his stagnant role in 2025. The Eagles used Brown on the outside at an extreme rate, making 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 play-caller in the NFL. However, unlike the other two first-timers on this list, Doyle did serve as an 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, it will become a great move for Baltimore.
Johnson’s and Doyle’s offense was known for its play-action passing. Caleb Williams made great progress in Year 2 in a largely unfamiliar offense that included 34% of its passing attempts coming via play action, second only to Sean McVay’s Rams. So the question becomes: how is Lamar Jackson in the play-action game?
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In his marvelous QB1 overall season in 2024, Jackson averaged the highest fantasy points per snap on play-action passes. However, in a struggling 2025 season … still No. 1. Seventeenth in fantasy points per game, but the best in play action passing.
The Ravens’ personnel and overall tendencies were largely similar to Chicago’s in 2025. Doyle, especially as a coach who’s 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 true wildcard of the play-caller carousel is David Blough. Another former quarterback — who was coaching quarterbacks for only two seasons — but this time, he’s an internal hire. Kliff Kingsbury is out in Washington, and with him, one of the more unique offenses to grace the NFL. His one-of-one offense would place star WRs solely on one side of the field, run no-huddle two times as often as any other team and have nearly no plays under center. Although it’s often mirrored in college, I’d be surprised to see Blough try to recreate the Kingsbury way.
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The Commanders offense had its weaknesses, but it provided plenty of fantasy production with a healthy Jayden Daniels in 2024. The risk is similar to that of Philadelphia, but this time, with less to model after and more to create from scratch. It will be an extremely difficult task for a young coach with a young quarterback.
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