The Eagles can feel good about the top of their tackle depth chart, but the real intrigue sits just underneath it.
Jordan Mailata remains one of the best left tackles in the NFL, and Lane Johnson is still playing at an elite level. Together, they give Philadelphia a chance to have the best tackle duo in the league in 2026, maybe even the best duo overall. If the offense is going to hum, those two are going to be the foundation.
The question is what comes after them.
Lane Johnson is the name that hangs over the whole conversation. He made it clear he didn’t want his 2025 season to end the way it did, after he missed more than a month with a LisFranc injury and couldn’t return for the playoffs. As for 2026, the big question is whether a strong season would push him toward retirement.
Johnson has implied he’d like to play until he’s 40, or as long as his body lets him. And if he had wanted to walk away on top, he could have done it after Super bowl LIX.
There’s a real case for him to keep going, too. Last season, he was one of the best right tackles in football, on track for a fourth straight Pro Bowl and a fifth straight All-Pro nod.
He didn’t allow a sack in 251 pass-blocking snaps, and his pressure rate allowed per dropback was 2.0%. That number has been 2.0% or lower in four of the last five seasons, and he’s given up just one sack in his last 2,138 pass-blocking snaps.
Still, this is one of those situations where the Eagles have to play it year to year. Johnson’s contract runs through next season, with two void years after that, and the decision on how long he keeps playing is his to make.
Behind him, Markel Bell has already become one of the more encouraging developments on the roster. The Eagles had him working at right tackle this spring, even giving him first-team reps in OTAs over Fred Johnson, who has handled the swing tackle role in recent years.
Bell is naturally a left tackle, and he’s admitted that learning right tackle feels like writing with your other hand. Even so, he’s handled the switch well.
That matters because Bell is getting a real chance to claim the No. 3 tackle job this summer. The Eagles will keep him working at both tackle spots during his rookie season, and the key question is whether they think he can step in at left tackle if Jordan Mailata gets hurt or at right tackle if Lane Johnson misses time. He’s the rookie who has shown the most positive signs in spring practice, and he could end up with a bigger role this season than people expected.
The rest of the young tackle group is still trying to catch up. The Eagles spent last season stashing Day 3 draft picks and letting them develop under Jeff Stoutland.
Sixth-round picks Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams both spent part of their rookie years on injured reserve, and Williams was the only one to appear in a regular season game. Hinton is now working inside at guard, while Williams is on the third team at tackle.
Hollin Pierce, an undrafted free agent, spent all of last season on the practice squad and is also on the third team.
That leaves Fred Johnson in a familiar spot: useful, experienced, and probably still the best backup tackle on the roster. Bell is pushing for his job as the No. 3 tackle, but the bigger question is whether any of the second-year players can do enough to jump him.
The most likely answer is no. Johnson may not be the flashiest name in the group, but he’s the most proven one, and there should be a place for him unless Hinton, Williams, or Pierce suddenly make a strong enough case to stick.
At this point, the young tackles from last year look like long shots to make the roster.
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