The Philadelphia Eagles are in the market for a starting-caliber offensive lineman.
This much should already be apparent from the team’s offensive line situation. This was the configuration they had to use in Week 5 due to Lane Johnson retiring and the Eagles trading Cam Jurgens away:
- Left tackle — Jordan Mailata
- Left guard — Willie Lampkin
- Center — Jake Majors
- Right guard — Tyler Steen
- Right tackle — Markel Bell
Mailata and Steen (who got banged up on Sunday but returned to the game) are firmly entrenched as starters this season. Lampkin and Majors (who was called up from the practice squad) made their first NFL starters. The
Eagles seem to like Bell’s long-term potential but growing pains are expected in the short-term.
The extent Drew Kendall’s knee injury isn’t clear but the Eagles didn’t put him on injured reserve, so, he should be back sooner than later. He could return at center to replace Majors.
But the Eagles might not just sit on their on hands when it comes to their offensive line. Speaking on his unCovering the Birds podcast last week, the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane saw Roseman has been making calls about blockers that might be available via trade, even after sending Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens:
“I also think Roseman could reload at the position. A couple NFL sources told me he was shopping for a starting caliber offensive lineman as of Wednesday.”
The Eagles lost a game since then, so, maybe Roseman is less inclined to buy if it’s a short-term rental. But perhaps that’s not the vision anyway. Maybe the Eagles’ general manager is looking to acquire a player with long-term starting capability.
It’s not perfectly clear who might fit that description. It’s not like there’s an abundance of quality offensive linemen in the NFL.
Something to monitor ahead of next month’s NFL trade deadline, though.
