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| Martin Griff/The Times of Trenton |
The Eagles were hit with some devastating news yesterday after
word broke that tackle Lane Johnson is facing a 10-game suspension for a PED
violation. Johnson is appealing, although appeals of PED-related suspensions
usually don’t go in favor of the player. Here are some of the more important ramifications
Johnson’s suspension would have on the Birds.
Offensive Line Depth: Gone. Not that it ever really
existed, but last season the Eagles had tons of problems at both guard
positions and center Jason Kelce struggled. They remedied the situation by
signing guard Brandon Brooks and versatile interior lineman Stefen Wisniewski
while also spending a third-round pick on Oregon State guard Isaac Seumalo. They
were betting on Kelce to bounce back with better guards next to him and left
tackle Jason Peters to stay healthy and prove he’s got a couple good years left
in the tank. This would relegate career backups Dennis Kelly, Matt Tobin, and Allen
Barbre back to the reserve roles they belong in after all three were forced to
play lots of snaps last year. But, Johnson was penciled in at right tackle and while
there were reasons to be skeptical about other players on the line, Johnson was
not one of them. The 2013 fourth overall pick signed a five-year contract
extension in the offseason with the expectation being he would eventually slide
over to left tackle once Peters retired. Now, Johnson could lose all of the
guaranteed money in that extension if the suspension stands, and with Peters
already hurt the Eagles are looking at rolling out backups again on the
offensive line except at tackle this year instead of guard. Opposing pass
rushers are licking their chops.
Offensive Production: There were already lots of
question marks surrounding the Eagles on offense. How will the quarterback situation
play out? Will starting running back Ryan Mathews make it through the entire
season healthy? Can second-year wide receiver Nelson Agholor prove he was worth
the first-round pick the team used on him in 2015? Will Zach Ertz become one of
the NFL’s elite tight ends after receiving a big contract extension and with
Doug Pederson’s offense involving him more? What kinds of contributions will
newcomers Rueben Randle and Chris Givens provide? This is an offense that wasn’t
expected to score many points and now could be without its best offensive
lineman for 10 games only adding another question to the batch.
Carson Wentz timeline: This is one’s pretty
interesting. The thought process behind the de facto redshirt year for Wentz
was that the Eagles could compete in a weak division with incumbent Sam
Bradford holding things over and backup Chase Daniel having a good feel for
Doug Pederson’s offense. It was iffy at best especially considering Bradford
has proved next to nothing since being selected number one overall in 2010, and
Daniel has started two games in his career and is being massively overpaid to
be a backup. It’s one thing to have Aaron Rodgers learn while watching Brett
Favre. But Wentz being deactivated and watching a team that likely wouldn’t
compete as it expected and trudge along to another sub-500 season didn’t seem
to add up. If the Eagles struggle out of the gate, and the quarterback play is
lackluster, both of which are more likely with Johnson out 10 games, will that
leave the coaching staff with no choice but to turn to Wentz? It would certainly
make 2016 more exciting. The Eagles traded lots of draft capital to obtain
Wentz and not seeing him all year wouldn’t give fans much to enjoy. That outside
interest factor is going to loom over the franchise all season and how they
handle it will be what everyone is watching. But, from a football standpoint,
the argument could be made that throwing Wentz into a situation with patchwork
tackles protecting him in the middle of a season that’s going nowhere wouldn’t
be the best thing for his development. This is what’s really worth monitoring
this season.
Johnson’s future: This would be the second
PED-related offense for Johnson, who was suspended for the first four games of
2014. A third offense would result in a two-year ban. For a player the Eagles
have a lot riding on for their long-term future, they better hope this is the
last of Johnson’s PED violations.
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