The Eagles are changing their direction on offense this season after hiring new offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, but that direction he sets them on may not be as important as something that he hopes is returning to the field.

Steichen takes over the OC spot after Doug Pederson served as both head coach and play-caller. The team parted ways with Pederson shortly after his fifth season with the Eagles ended with a 4-11-1 mark. While Steichen isn't expected to call plays, thew combination of new head coach Nick Sirianni and Steichen should be a shot in the arm, creatively, to the Eagles lackluster offense.

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New quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor and tight end Dallas Goedert give Steichen plenty to work with in the passing game this season. Last season with injuries along the offensive line, poor quarterback play and inconsistent wide receivers led to Pederson calling a more conservative game.

"Jalen Reagor is an explosive football player," Steichen explained. "He showed up on film, his explosiveness and his ability to catch and get YAC, it's awesome. Super excited to work with him. He's going to be a good player."

"And I think DeVonta, when you watch DeVonta coming out, this guy, his first step off the line of scrimmage and his smoothness coming in and out of breaks, it's unbelievable. The guy had three games, I want to say, over 200 yards receiving. The touchdowns, I want to say, was over the 20s. He won the Heisman for a reason. This guy is a talented football player that we look forward to working with."

With that all in mind, there’s something that jumps to Steichen about his new team that could make a huge difference in 2021.

"These guys up front, I'll tell you what, now, when I got here and I started watching tape of these guys, and I was watching the skill guys at times, but my eyes would go to the offensive line," Steichen explained.

"All these guys are freakin' awesome football players. We're excited about this group. We're super excited about this offensive line, getting these guys back in. And even watching these guys communicate, you can see how tight they are, and how well they've worked together the last eight or ten years together. This is a good group. This is one of the best in the NFL, no doubt about it."

If the Eagles are healthy up front, Steichen is right, they should have one of the top offensive line units in the NFL and it could lead to a much better offense in 2020.

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