Where do the Eagles go now without Lane Johnson?
Aug 19, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) walks to the practice field during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
For the first time in over half a decade, the Eagles will take the field without Lane Johnson as a member of their team.
After 14 seasons in the NFL, all with the Eagles, Johnson announced his retirement Tuesday, in the middle of what was supposed to be his final regular season. A two-time Super Bowl Champion, a six-time Pro Bowler, and five-time All-Pro, Johnson is tied with Chuck Bednarik for second most seasons played for the Eagles, trailing former teammate Brandon Graham.
Johnson stated in a social media post that taking care of mental health and family are his priorities at the moment and retiring from the NFL was the right decision.
“Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health,” Johnson said. “I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
Johnson has been a pillar of the Eagles’ success since being drafted fourth overall back in 2013. He was the first draft pick of the post-Andy Reid era, marking the essential beginning of the next generation of Eagles teams and players.
Since going No. 4 overall, Johnson has been arguably the best right tackle in football, and at times has been considered the best offensive lineman across the entire NFL. During his 14 seasons, Johnson played 11,917 snaps, allowing only 295 pressures (2.4%) and just 33 sacks (0.02%).
In his 30s alone, Johnson has allowed just four sacks total, a .0016% sack rate from his age 30-36 seasons. As he continued to age, his talent and skill for the game only increased; to put it where, when you factor in all of his achievements and accolades, his quest for Canton is almost a shoo-in
The Eagles have clearly benefited from having Johnson protect the right side of their line, as since 2013, Philadelphia is 122-63-1 when Johnson started and 18-30 when he did not. The Eagles’ offensive EPA (expected points added) per play in that time frame with Johnson on the field is +0.06, versus when he’s off being -0.05.
It was a shocker to all Eagles faithful, including players on the team, with Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata stating that Johnson will be a tough pill to swallow.
“Still kinda shocked by it all. Yeah, still a hard one to swallow, to be honest,” Mailata said on SportsRadio 94.1 WIP Tuesday. “I’m still processing my emotions — let alone, also, we try to remember all the times we had. A lot of memories to unpack when I think about Lane. I just think about how much I’m going to miss him going forward.”
Johnson will be missed. Losing a franchise tackle and franchise players is never easy. But now the Eagles must move on, and what does that mean for the Eagles as a whole, and with their offensive line?
The offensive line has been a hot topic surrounding the Eagles through four weeks of the 2026 season, as many have pointed fingers at it as to why Philadelphia’s offense has gotten off to a slow start to the season. The run game has felt nonexistent, Jalen Hurts is constantly facing pressure when he drops back to pass, and time and time again it feels as though the line issues are causing drives to flame out, resulting in little to no offense.
Now it hasn’t been easy; entering Week 5, three of the five starting linemen heading into the season are either injured or retired. Guard Landon Dickerson went down with a bone bruise in his right knee after Week 1, and Cam Jurgens has gone down with concussion symptoms, putting him in jeopardy of missing time.
Second-year player Drew Kendall has filled in at center the past three weeks and has done a solid job, while fellow second-year player Willie Lampkin is expected to slide into Jurgens place at left guard. The real question is who will slot into Johnson’s role protecting the right edge against agianst some of the NFL’s best, and it will likely fall to third-round rookie tackle Markel Bell.
Bell, a 6’9, 346-pound tackle out of Miami, is a force to be reckoned with when he’s on the front line. Philadelphia saw the talent in Bell and used a Day 2 draft pick last April to bring in the giant to develop into their potential new star tackle.
The obvious plan was for Bell to “redshirt” this season and learn behind two All-Pro-caliber tackles about what it takes to play in the NFL, but quickly, Bell has been dropped into the deep end with no floaties. Being asked to start the remainder of a regular season as a rookie is one thing, but being asked to fill the shoes of a potential Hall of Fame tackle is a whole other task.
This isn’t the first time an Eagles tackle has had to fill the role of a potential Hall of Famer. Current starting left tackle Jordan Mailata was the successor to Jason Peters, taking over the job in 2020 and never looking back. Mailata was thrown into the water at 23 years old, not having played a single snap of football before coming to Philadelphia, and ran with the opportunity.
Maialta shared what his advice to Bell is, having to be the successor to an all-time franchise player.
“My piece of advice was something I told myself when people expected me to fill the shoes of the great J.P., Jason Peters. I said I wasn’t here to fill his shoes. I’m here to make my own,” Mailata said. “This here is again another opportunity for me to remind Markel that I understand what you’re going through. The one thing that you can do now is create your own shoes. You’re not here to fill Lane Johnson’s shoes. You’re here to make your own. You’re here to create your own legacy and your own story, and that’s all we want. We just want you to focus on that. You don’t have to be Lane Johnson.”
Recreating an all-time franchise player is a near-impossible task, but it’s one the Eagles are faced with and now must navigate for the remainder of 2026 and moving forward.
While personal questions will need to be answered, another key question with the Eagles is who is going to step up and be the adults on a team that needs answers. Johnson was often the player who always had great advice, or knew the right thing to say to hype his team up. That key veteran that everyone respected and tried to follow.
Philadelphia was lucky that the core of Johnson, Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham stuck around, performed at a high level, and helped keep and build the foundation of what the Eagles stand for today.
Following the firing of Andy Reid, the Eagles were still a mid-tier organization in the NFL, a Super Bowl-less franchise that may be able to get to the big one but couldn’t seem to get over that hump. This franchise could have crashed and burned year after year like other teams, just wishing they had an ounce of success, but instead it rode on the backs of the players who wanted to make things better.
The blueprint has been laid out for this team now, and they’ve seen firsthand what hard work and success can lead to. Johnson was the final nail in the coffin of the former Eagles regime, marking an end to the most successful period in franchise history.
Now, it’s on a new generation of veterans to help keep the train moving and continue the success of the Eagles franchise. It’s not going to be easy; there’s going to be times when the sky is falling, and there’s nothing you can do right, but that’s where you learn from those experiences to be better.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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