With Lane Johnson announcing his retirement, let’s take stock of the Philadelphia Eagles’ current offensive line situation.
THE PLAYERS
Here are the current projected starters entering Week 5:
- Left tackle — Jordan Mailata
- Left guard — Willie Lampkin
- Center — Drew Kendall
- Right guard — Tyler Steen
- Right tackle — Markel Bell
Here are the current backups on the active roster:
- OT Fred Johnson
- OG Micah Morris
Here are the current practice squad offensive linemen:
- C/G Jake Majors
- OT Kiran Amegadjie
- OT John Ojukwu
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Lane Johnson’s absence puts Markel Bell in line to start at right tackle again this week and potentially moving forward. The Eagles also have Fred Johnson on their roster … but he’s missed the last two games with a knee
injury. Bell also outplayed Big Fred in the summer and offers more upside than the 29-year-old veteran, who will be a free agent once again after this season. Still, getting Fred Johnson back would be ideal from the standpoint of having a swing tackle behind Mailata and Bell. Because there’s currently no other tackle on the active roster.
On that note, the Eagles’ lack of tackle depth will likely prompt them to promote Ojukwu and/or Amegadjie to the roster. The Eagles currently have two roster spots to fill with Lane’s retirement and Tank Bigsby being placed on injured reserve.
Another potential internal option is to move Tyler Steen to tackle and play rookie Micah Morris at guard. But that doesn’t seem likely.
INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINE
Cam Jurgens is reportedly in the concussion protocol. While it’s possible that he’s cleared in time to start at left guard on Sunday, it seems like he might miss at least one game. And there have been calls to bench him with how poorly he’s played out of his normal center position. Jurgens ranks 77th out of 79 guards graded by Pro Football Focus this season.
Assuming Jurgens is out, Willie Lampkin will make his first career NFL start. The 5’11”, 290 pound blocker is something of a curiosity given his lack of prototypical NFL size. But his diminutive stature hasn’t prevented him from playing well in training camp and preseason settings. It’ll be interesting to see if he can carry that success over to the regular season.
We’re also assuming that the Eagles will keep Kendall at center and put Lampkin at left guard. But maybe the Eagles could flip them to get Lampkin in at center? We’ll see.
Landon Dickerson is currently ineligible to play for the Eagles while on injured reserve. He will be able to return from IR as soon as Week 6, though it’s unclear if he’ll actually be healthy enough to play then. And even if he can suit up, it’s unclear if he’s actually able to still play well at all.
The Eagles could look to either sign Majors to the roster or temporarily elevate him from the practice squad to give them more interior depth. Majors took a lot of reps with the second-team offensive line during training camp and preseason games. The 2025 undrafted rookie free agent signing has never played in a regular season game.
EXTERNAL OPTIONS?
I would think the Eagles aren’t looking to trade for a rental to help replace Lane. The only way I see them paying a significant price for a veteran is if they have the potential to be a long-term option.
But which teams are trading a high quality starting tackle during the season?
Maybe Taylor Decker is a name to watch? He’s available after requesting his release from the Detroit Lions earlier this year. The 33-year-old has only really ever played at left tackle, though.
Long-time starter Cam Robinson is also still on the market. Ditto for Jonah Williams.
The problem with signing a short-term veteran is that it blocks Bell’s development. But the Eagles also aren’t going to play Bell if he’s struggling to the point where they’re concerned Hurts could get injured as a result. Or if they feel like winning in the short-term is better than a long-term focus.
Other external options could involve the Eagles poaching practice squad player(s) from other teams. Less likely to get an instant starter that way but there could be some players with upside that are worth taking a chance on.
ALL TOLD
The Eagles’ offensive line situation right now is far from ideal. As a unit, they already weren’t playing very well while healthy. And now they’re losing their best player with Johnson retiring. And it’s not like Jeff Stoutland is here to help get the most out of the remaining talent.
The Eagles have had seasons from hell in the past when their offensive line has gone to crap. Unfortunately, 2026 might just be another one of those years.
