Jalen Hurts is about to find out just how much Lane Johnson meant to everything the Eagles wanted to do on offense.
Johnson announced his retirement on social media Tuesday, only three days before Philadelphia heads to London for a Week 5 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. His exit comes after a season in which he stepped away from the team twice because of a personal matter, missing four days of training camp in August and sitting out the Eagles’ Week 4 loss to the Los Angeles Rams for the same reason.
For Hurts, the loss is huge. Johnson had spent years making life easier for the Eagles quarterback by locking down the right side and going more than two years without allowing a sack. That safety net is gone now, and Hurts is going to have to adjust fast.
Rookie third-round pick Markel Bell is expected to take over as the starting right tackle, at least for the rest of the season. That was always part of the long-term plan, but the idea was for Bell not to be thrown into that role until 2027.
Now the change is immediate, and it’s going to reshape how Philadelphia has to operate. Pass protection won’t be nearly as sturdy, which means Hurts and the Eagles have to get creative.
If fans weren’t thrilled with the quick-pass approach before, this version may test their patience even more. Hurts will need to get the ball out quickly, and that could mean more short completions in the middle of the field to rookie Makai Lemon or Darius Cooper in the slot. The Eagles may also lean on swing passes to Elijah Moore or Will Shipley out of the backfield.
The pressure up front could pile up even more with Bell at right tackle and Willie Lampkin and Drew Kendall tentatively set to start at left guard and center against the Jaguars in London. Hurts already had a rough reminder of what happens when the protection breaks down in the Week 4 loss to the Rams, when they blitzed him, according to NBC Sports Philly’s Dave Zangaro.
That makes the clock even more important. Philadelphia needs to find ways to get the ball out of Hurts’ hands in under three seconds, and ideally closer to 2.5 seconds, to keep him from taking unnecessary punishment behind a depleted line.
There’s another layer to this, too: Hurts may need to use his legs more than he has so far. That could mean designed runs or more scrambling when plays break down. Despite the talk about his speed in training camp, that part of his game hasn’t shown up much in the regular season.
And if Hurts already felt uneasy with Sean Mannion’s offense and the changes around it, losing Johnson could make that discomfort much worse. The offense hasn’t been sharp this season, but Hurts still has a chance to steer where things go from here. He’ll need to embrace the adjustments and play like the Super Bowl MVP Philadelphia knows he can be.
In Other News...
Eagles Injury Report Just Put Jalen Hurts In A Tough Spot
A Wednesday injury report can tell you plenty about where a team stands, and this one offered a little relief for the secondary. Quinyon Mitchell was back as a full participant after hyperextending his knee against the Rams, a sign the Eagles are likely to have one of their top young defensive backs available against the Jaguars. Around him, the list was a reminder that this is still a team carrying a fair amount of wear, with Zack Baun, Jihaad Campbell, Dallas Goedert, Fred Johnson, Dontayvion Wicks, DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown all limited or out for parts of the day.
The bigger concern may be up front, where the offensive line is not exactly settling in. Drew Kendall missed practice again, and with the Eagles already sorting through options, the possibility grows that less experienced hands could be pushed into the mix. For Jalen Hurts, that is the kind of development that changes everything about a game plan, especially when the margin for error gets thinner in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Face A Troubling London Warning As Injuries Keep Mounting
The Eagles head to London for their Week 5 matchup with a little more uncertainty than they would like, and the outside projections are not exactly helping calm things down. ESPNs Seth Walder sees the Jacksonville Jaguars taking advantage of Philadelphias current issues and is forecasting a lopsided result, a reminder that the Eagles are walking into a game where the margin for error is already thin.
Injuries have been piling up around the roster, and the timing could hardly be worse with a Jaguars defense that is expected to make life difficult and an offense with enough weapons to punish mistakes. Philadelphia also has to navigate recent roster changes that have left the group more undermanned than it would prefer, turning an already tricky overseas trip into one that feels loaded with pressure before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Just Sent A Clear Message On Eagles Play Caller
Jalen Hurts did not sound like a quarterback looking to create more noise around an already shaky Eagles offense. Instead, he publicly backed offensive coordinator Sean Mannion as Philadelphia tries to sort through an early-season slump that has left the unit near the bottom of the league in points and yards. With consecutive losses piling up, Hurts pointed toward patience and the need to keep building chemistry with a new play-caller rather than adding to the criticism.
Sean Mannion has held firm in his confidence in the scheme, and Hurts comments offered a clear sign that the quarterback is not interested in a public split. For a team that has not found its rhythm, the message matters almost as much as the next game plan, because the Eagles need the offense to stabilize quickly before the frustration around it grows any louder. [Read more 🡒]