For the Eagles, the conversation always circles back to the same place: the line of scrimmage. Jalen Hurts needs clean pockets.
Saquon Barkley needs room to work. And if Philadelphia is going to chase the kind of season it expects, the five guys up front have to hold up.
That’s why Lane Johnson sits at the center of so much of this. With what might be his final season ahead, the veteran right tackle enters 2026 as the most important Eagles player not named Jalen Hurts.
Johnson’s résumé already tells the story. He has five All-Pro selections, six Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl wins in three appearances.
But the numbers only go so far in capturing what he means to this offense. The real value is in the trench work, where he has spent years setting the tone for Philadelphia.
Jordan Mailata, who has lined up next to Johnson for eight seasons, didn’t hold back when talking to Kay Adams.
"He's the best tackle. Left, right, if there was a middle tackle he'd be better than anyone there too.
He's the best tackle to play this game period, " Mailata said. "Every game we played, he's our best player."
Johnson’s 2025 season was interrupted by the Lis Franc injury he suffered near the middle of the year, a setback that kept him out the rest of the way and sparked retirement talk. He pushed those rumors aside, saying he was coming back. But after his recent announcement at training camp, 2026 could now be the last time #65 anchors the Eagles’ offensive line.
If this is the end, he’s still playing at an elite level. Over the past two seasons, Johnson has allowed a pressure rate of just 2.7%, the best mark among NFL linemen. In 10 games last season, he didn’t give up a sack in 262 pass-blocking snaps.
There are plenty of storylines around Eagles camp, but Johnson’s status carries a different weight. The possibility that his run is nearing its finish only makes his importance clearer. For Philadelphia, the road to another big season may still run through #65.
In Other News...
Former Eagles RB Faces Heartbreaking Race Against Time With Daughter
A former NFL running back got a heartbreaking reprieve this week when Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott granted him early release from prison so he could spend time with his critically ill daughter. The ruling came after the judge approved a motion to withdraw the players guilty plea, clearing the way for him to leave despite prosecutors seeking a stay.
The former Eagles back had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, when his case took a deeply personal turn. His 8-year-old daughter Mila is now in palliative care with an aggressive kidney cancer diagnosis, a situation that has shifted the focus far from the legal case and onto a family racing against time. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Receiver Decision They Cant Ignore
Ten practices into camp, the Eagles have gotten encouraging signs along the interior of the offensive line, where the depth looks better than it did a year ago. But the receiver room is still drawing attention for the wrong reasons, especially after the trade of A.J. Brown left a vacancy that has not been cleanly filled. With the roster still taking shape, the team is balancing a few promising position battles against the reality that some areas simply look thinner than others.
Makai Lemons injuries have kept him from getting the kind of run he would need to settle the WR3 discussion, and the competition behind him has not produced an obvious answer. For a team trying to protect itself against more injuries and keep enough trusted bodies on hand, the next move at receiver may need to come from outside the building, even as the Eagles weigh how to preserve depth elsewhere with players like Byron Young, Michael Carter, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham still mattering in that bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]
Former Eagles Running Back Granted Release Amid Heartbreaking Family Crisis
A former NFL running back who once spent time with the Eagles has been granted early release from prison so he can be with his critically ill daughter, who is now in palliative care after unsuccessful cancer treatments. The decision from Gloucester County Superior Court Judge Renard Scott came during a deeply personal stretch for the family, marking a rare break from the legal battles that had kept the former back behind bars.
He had been serving an 18-month federal sentence tied to COVID-related fraud, along with a concurrent state sentence for gun possession, before the court allowed him to leave. The case also took a procedural turn after a motion to withdraw his guilty plea followed a recent appeals court ruling involving New Jerseys assault weapons ban, adding another layer to an already difficult situation that now centers on his daughters condition. [Read more 🡒]