In Lane Johnson has announced his retirementlet’s take a look at the current offensive situation of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Here are the current projected starters going into 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
- AND Micah Morris
Here are the current practice squad offensive linemen:
- C/G Jake Majors
- OT Kiran Amegadjie
- OT John Ojukwu
The absence of Lane Johnson puts Markel Bell in line to start again at right tackle this week and possibly move forward. The Eagles also have Fred Johnson on their roster … but he missed the last two games with a knee injury. Bell also outplayed Big Fred last summer and offers more upside than the 29-year-old veteran, who will be a free agent again after this season. However, getting Fred Johnson back would be ideal from the standpoint of having a swing tackle behind Mailata and Bell. Because there is 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 retiring and Tank Bigsby being placed on injured reserve.
Another potential interior option is to move Tyler Steen to tackle and play rookie Micah Morris at guard. But that doesn’t seem likely.
Cam Jurgens is reportedly in the concussion protocol. While he may have been cleared in time to start at left guard on Sunday, it appears he may not miss a single game. And there were calls to bench him given how poorly he played outside 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 NFL career start. The 5’11”, 290 pound blocker is something of a curiosity due to his lack of prototypical NFL size. But his small stature hasn’t prevented him from playing well in training camp and preseason settings. It will be interesting to see if he can carry that success into the regular season.
We also assume the Eagles will keep Kendall at center and put Lampkin at left guard. But could the Eagles flip them to get Lampkin in the middle? Let’s see.
Landon Dickerson is currently ineligible to play for the Eagles while on injured reserve. He’ll be back from IR in Week 6, though it’s unclear if he’ll be healthy enough to play by then. And even if he can suit up, it’s unclear if he can actually play well.
The Eagles could look to either sign Majors to the roster or temporarily lift him from the practice squad to give them more interior depth. The majors took plenty of reps on 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.
I think the Eagles are not looking to trade for a rental to help replace Lane. The only way I see them paying a big price for a veteran is if they have the potential to be a long-term option.
But which teams trade high-quality starting tackles during the season?
Maybe Taylor Decker is a name to watch? He is available after claiming his release from the Detroit Lions earlier this year. However, the 33-year-old actually played at left tackle.
Long-time starter Cam Robinson is still on the market. Ditto for Jonah Williams.
The problem with signing a short-term veteran is that it stunts Bell’s development. But the Eagles also won’t play Bell if he’s struggling to the point where they’re worried Hurts could be injured as a result. Or if they feel like winning in the short term is better than a long-term focus.
Other outside options could include the Eagles poaching practice squad player(s) from other teams. It’s less likely to get an instant starter that way but there may be some players with upside worth giving up.
The current Eagles offensive line situation is far from perfect. As a unit, they haven’t played much while healthy. And now they’re losing their best player with Johnson’s retirement. And it’s not like Jeff Stoutland is here to help make the most of the remaining talent.
The Eagles have had seasons from hell in the past when their offensive line has been bad. Unfortunately, 2026 may just be one of those years.