The coaching rotation is as active as ever this offseason, with more than half of the 2025 head coaches being replaced next season. Of the 17 vacancies to be filled, 15 play-calling roles have been identified, featuring a unique trio (two of whom are former NFL quarterbacks!) who have never called a play in the NFL before. Fantasy football analyst Joel Smyth breaks down what we can expect from the offense set up by players taking the field for the first time.
Sean Mannion – Philadelphia Eagles
As of early 2024, Sean Mannion is still on the NFL practice squad as the senior quarterback. Two years later, he was the offensive coordinator and play-caller for one of the league’s most talented offenses. The former quarterback and 2015 third-round pick spent his career in the league as a backup, including two years with Sean McVay in Los Angeles, and hopes to make his mark in the NFL as a coach when his career is over. Mannion spent the final two seasons in Green Bay 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 had a surprising year at the end of the year.
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Matt LaFleur doesn’t have many direct disciples as play-callers, but he’s part of Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay’s extensive coaching tree. Nathaniel Hackett was promoted from LaFleur’s offensive coordinator to the Broncos’ head coach, leading a Denver Nuggets offense that only scored more than twice on offense in 2022. Over the past three seasons without Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ identity has been built around running the ball while being creative in the passing game. The biggest difference between Mannion’s offense and the Eagles’ 2025 kicker Kevin Patula may be the high movement rate.
The Packers offense and the entire Shanahan/McVey tree use a lot of movement, and the Eagles are ranked 28th in 2025, a marked difference from the 2024 season. Kellen Moore is moving on after a stellar season in Philadelphia to become the Saints’ play-caller. The Saints sit fifth as the Eagles hit rock bottom in the campaign.
While it’s far from guaranteed, the potential Mannion offers the Eagles is substantial. Saquon Barkley can keep the offense high, while Jalen Hurts can get easier opportunities in a more creative offense. The biggest benefactor may be AJ Brown after his role stalls in 2025. The Eagles use Brown extremely frequently on the perimeter, making his role in the off-speed offense more difficult.
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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-time draftees on this list, Doyle did serve as offensive coordinator when he joined Ben Johnson’s regime in Chicago last season.
If Doyle can replicate Ben Johnson’s success, it would be a great move for Baltimore.
Johnson and Doyle’s offense was known for passing passes. Caleb Williams has made huge strides in his second-year offense, with 34 percent of pass attempts coming on play action, second only to Sean McVay’s Rams. The question then becomes: How good is Lamar Jackson in the action game?
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In a stellar season for QB1 in 2024, Jackson averaged the highest points per snap on pass fakes. However, heading into a struggling 2025 season…still ranked No. 1. Ranked 17th in fantasy points per game but ranked first in passing action.
The Ravens’ personnel and overall trends are largely similar to the 2025 Chicago team. Doyle, especially as a coach the same age as his quarterback, has a lower baseline like most first-time players, but his path to Baltimore is what you want to see on a new staff.
David Blow – Washington Commander
The real wild card in the caller rotation is David Blough. Another former quarterback — one who only coached for two seasons — but this time, he’s an in-house hire. With Kliff Kingsbury out, Washington has one of the most unique offenses in the NFL. His one-on-one offense keeps star receivers stuck on one side of the field, running twice as often as other teams and with almost no chance for the center to get off the field. While this happens a lot in college, I was surprised to see the way Burra tried to recreate Kingsbury.
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The Commander’s offense has its weaknesses, but with a healthy Jayden Daniels in 2024, it provides plenty of fantasy production. The stakes are similar to those in Philadelphia, but this time, there’s less to imitate and more to create from scratch. This will be an extremely difficult task for a young coach and a young quarterback.