Few NFL players have ever been as adept at keeping harm at bay as Lane Johnson was for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Quantifying an offensive lineman's value to a team can be an exceedingly difficult proposition. Johnson, of course, was heavily decorated throughout his 14-year pro career, having earned six Pro Bowl nods and two first-team All-Pro selections.
But even as the 36-year-old came to be seen as the modern gold standard at right tackle – and perhaps the best ever at the position – Johnson's lofty reputation still couldn't fully capture just how meaningful he was to the franchise. Including the playoffs, the Eagles went 122-63-1 with him in the lineup and 18-30 without him.
A cornerstone of the only two Super Bowl-winning teams in franchise
history, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft saw multiple quarterbacks, head coaches and other marquee figures cycle in and out during his time. Through it all, Johnson – and the rest of the offensive line – held everything together, ensuring some level of comfort even amid significant change and challenging circumstances.
Until now.
Johnson's announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 6, that he would be retiring immediately to focus on his mental health should prompt a moment of celebration for one of the organization's all-time greats. As a teammate, mentor – beyond his work within the organization, he co-founded the OL Masterminds summit in 2018 – and pass protector, the 36-year-old earned an almost singular level of reverence throughout the league and among those who worked closest with him.
"Lane excelled under multiple coaching staffs, maintaining an elite level of play throughout his entire career," Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. "His combination of talent, strength, athleticism, and intelligence made him a truly unique player in this league, and there is no doubt in my mind that one day he will be named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Any break from the reality now facing the Eagles, however, will have to be short-lived for the team.
At 2-2 and coming off its worst offensive performance in more than a decade with Johnson out of the lineup, Philadelphia's offense already appeared to be nearing a breaking point. But for a group that appeared intent on trying to hold on as its key contributors got healthier and gained a better grasp on a new scheme, Johnson's departure might put any hopes of a breakthrough even further out of reach.
Eagles' offense already in dire straits
Even prior to Johnson's decision, the Eagles' offense was facing a necessary moment of reflection.
Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams laid bare all the ways in which the attack is ailing, both figuratively and literally. With running back Saquon Barkley's first-quarter hamstring injury putting nearly half of the Week 1 starting offense out of commission, Philadelphia went 0-for-12 on third down and posted its fewest yards (172) since 2014.
Though Eagles coach Nick Sirianni refused to let the mounting injuries be an excuse. Instead, he saw a more insidious problem taking root.
"I don't think we really know our identity of what we want to be," Sirianni said in a news conference Monday. "We know where we're going, we know what we need to be able to do, but there's still some identity questions that we still have to continue to answer as we continue through this."
Now, the offense has to push on without the figure who might have been the most capable of helping the unit define itself.
As a rare player who grew even more formidable in his 30s than he was at his athletic peak, Johnson was still operating at a top-tier level to the very end. Through four weeks, he ranks second in pass-block win rate among all offensive tackles, according to ESPN. And his last quick pressure (under 2.5 seconds) allowed came in Week 10 of 2024, according to Next Gen Stats.
That sustained level of excellence in pass protection was the hallmark of Johnson's career. Philadelphia could always count on its bookend tackles – first with Jason Peters manning the blind side opposite Johnson, then with Jordan Mailata taking over – to neutralize even the craftiest and most dynamic edge rushers.
But even with the duo still excelling this season, the interior line came unraveled. Offensive guard Landon Dickerson landed on injured reserve after admitting he was a "complete liability" in the opener. That prompted center Cam Jurgens to slide left and have Drew Kendall take over at the pivot.
The results have been calamitous for all involved.
Philadelphia has surrendered the league's third-highest pressure rate at 43.2% and has had runs stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage at the fifth-highest rate (19.4%), according to Next Gen Stats. A front that used to bulldoze its opponents on late downs with the Tush Push now is wilting in the unrelenting third-and-long scenarios.
Philadelphia's problems compound with Johnson gone
How much could Johnson have done to turn things around? There's probably only so much that could have been asked of him to cover for a group that presented so many vulnerabilities in its first few games without famed position coach Jeff Stoutland.
But Sunday's loss provided a glimpse of how dire things can get for this offense – as presently constructed – without him.
With third-round rookie Markel Bell stepping in at right tackle, the Rams blitzed the Eagles at a 54.5% rate, according to Next Gen Stats. That represented the most aggressive approach of any defense not orchestrated by Brian Flores this season. The result: Los Angeles registered a 57.6% pressure rate – the second-highest single-game mark so far this season – and limited Hurts to 93 passing yards, the lowest output of any contest he's started and finished in his career.
Bell had earned Johnson's seal of approval, but he desperately needed the veteran's tutelage to accelerate his development. Now, he's been called to the front of the class for a pop quiz. And opposing defenses are sure to throw the football equivalent of quantum physics problems at him with their exotic blitzes, with the rest of the line only able to do so much to support him.
An essential piece exiting amid such widespread struggles might typically be cause for re-evaluation of a team's approach. Yet first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, speaking Tuesday prior to Johnson's announcement, doubled down on his belief in the standing framework.
"We're implementing something that we absolutely believe in," said Mannion, acknowledging that the team would evaluate possible tweaks. " ... We believe in the things that we've installed from a fundamental perspective in terms of the structure of our offense. We're gonna keep leaning into that and make it as good as it can be."
Without Barkley and the ground game carrying the operation, there might not be a safe place to retreat to, especially with the stripped-down receiving corps unable to reliably beat man coverage. Still, Mannion seemed to undercut his own faith in a scheme that's been an oil-and-water fit for the Eagles' personnel, particularly Hurts. In defending the lack of production from the under-center and play-action looks at the core of the attack, Mannion said the misalignment might be a product of the matchups that have popped up in the early weeks.
But if Philadelphia couldn't dictate terms offensively and flourish with Johnson in the lineup, what hope does it have in executing that same game plan with him now gone?
Johnson's departure could loom large in locker room
While Sirianni and others retreated to "next man up" maxims in accounting for Sunday's loss, the finality of Johnson's decision might not be so easy for players to move past.
"I think it's just heavy. It's heavy to deal with right now," Mailata said Tuesday on Sportsradio WIP. “I'm still processing my emotions – let alone, also, we try to remember all the times we had. Lot of memories to unpack when I think about Lane. I just think about how much I'm going to miss him going forward.”
Mailata tried to remain upbeat, saying he believed the team had the cohesiveness to make it through a challenging time. A key part of that effort was expressing his faith in Bell.
"The one thing that you can do now is create your own shoes," Mailata said. "You're not here to fill Lane Johnson's shoes – you're here to make your own. You're here to create your own legacy and your own story, and that's all we want. We just want you to focus on that.
"You don't have to be Lane Johnson."
Of course, no one else could.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lane Johnson's retirement could push Eagles past breaking point | Opinion
