Have the Eagles done enough to keep their offensive line dominant?

The Philadelphia Eagles have long been known for having one of the premier offensive line groups in the NFL. Future Hall of Famers like Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson set the bar for any young player walking into the locker room, while Jeff Stoutland was able to squeeze every last drop of juice from whoever he got his hands on. But following last night's news, the Birds are left in very unfamiliar territory.

Lane Johnson's retirement is more than just a shock to the system, but not in the way you think. Rookie Markel Bell has already made his NFL debut, and Johnson has endured his fair share of injuries over the last few years, so temporary stopgaps have become somewhat normal. But Philadelphia is yet to experience a scenario where 3+ cogs of the offensive front have question marks over them. 

Landon Dickerson's start to the new season was concerning. A poor opening game raised questions, and an IR placement only stoked the fires. Down their starting left guard, Cam Jurgens' struggles only compounded Philly's difficulties in running the rock. Factor in some Saquon Barkley setbacks and now a Tank Bigsby injury, and the rushing attack as completely unwound over the space of a few weeks. 

The one stalwart left completely untouched by criticism is Jordan Mailata at left tackle, and while Tyler Steen has made some big leaps in his game, those gains aren't enough to offset weaknesses that continue to be pounced on by opposing defenses. 

What made the Eagles' offensive front so formiddable in years past though was its depth. If a starter went down, the Eagles had their next man ready. From Halapoulivaati Vaitai to Nate Herbig and Isaac Seumalo, Stoutland University always had its students ready for graduation. 

It's too early to judge Chris Kuper's ability to do the same, but it's becoming easier to see that he's working with a lot less. Jordan Mailata is a Unicorn in every sense of the word. The Eagles only drafted one offensive lineman this year in Markel Bell, while Drew Kendall was a fifth round selection in 2025. Neither Myles Hinton, nor Cameron Williams, the two other rookies drafted that year, are on the team anymore. 

Somewhere along the way, the Eagles built such a behemoth of an offensive line that their only option was to develop talents taken in the lower rounds. And while that strategy succeeded for a long time, the strength of depth gradually wilted away, and the players brought in to follow in those footsteps either didn't develop as quickly (Steen) or ended up elsewhere. 

Nobody could've forecast back in March that Lane Johnson would retire, Landon Dickerson would end up on IR, and Cam Jurgens would struggle as much as he has. But the difference between now and a few years ago is that it never really felt like a major concern because of the names locked in behind. Even veteran backups were ready to roll, and the star-power across the line did an unbelievable job of patching holes and affording help to inexperienced linemen, negating any weaknesses that would otherwise be there. 

The Eagles have simply run out of that luxury, and now the pressure is on the shoulders of a freakish rookie like Markel Bell, and a slower-developing player like Tyler Steen, while Philly could now be heading into an offseason looking to find as many as three new starters along the offensive line. 

The frustrating part is that it's not really a case of poor roster management. The team won two super Bowls, went to a third, and have long had one of the best offensive fronts in the NFL. It's also not poor coaching, because until this year, it had always been Stoutland's genius that prepared those backups for those crunch-time moments. 

It's simply a window where a position of strength is unwinding, and the Eagles are not in a position to patch the wound for the first time in a long time. As scary as it is, that's life in the NFL, and it's astounding the team survived this long without a major reshuffle. Sustenence was always the name of the game. But as players get older, injuries mount up, and execution drops, the priority to rebuild the trenches has to once again be elevated. But if you spend your life preparing for a Black Swan event as a GM, you'll forever be sat in a retooling phase. 

The questions remaining now are simply whether or not Chris Kuper can have his guys ready to go. Can the offensive line survive without a true leader and one of the best tackles the team has ever seen? Can it still protect its quarterback when the foundations are creaking? 

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