How much longer will the Philadelphia Eagles’ O-line have to miss Lane Johnson’s dominance?
PHILADELPHIA — A trip to Lane Johnson’s “Bro Barn” back in 2021 offered a glimpse into just how special of an athlete and worker Johnson is.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ standout right tackle converted a horse barn into a home gym on his 2-acre property in southern New Jersey, and it became a workout destination for a number of NFL players, including linemen Isaac Seumalo, Cesar Ruiz, Jon Runyan and Nate Herbig as well as quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Just about everything was a competition for second place. Johnson’s garage sits a stone’s throw away, and in it is a whiteboard that ranked their results. It was a near clean sweep for Johnson, including in bench press (450 pounds), deadlift (720 pounds) and box jump (54 inches). Hurts (10 feet, 1 inch) edged out Johnson (9 feet, 10 inches) in broad jump, but not by much.
As they entered the garage, one lineman said: “Yeah, we know, Johnson’s in first. What about the rest of us normal people?”
This is helpful in contextualizing Johnson’s ability and understanding the significance of his absence for Philly. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in Sunday’s win against the Detroit Lions, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It is not expected to end his season, but he could be headed to injured reserve, meaning he’d miss a minimum of four games.
A few grueling seasons have passed since that Bro Barn trip, but Johnson, now 35, has continued to set the pace at his position. He entered Week 11 with a knockdown rate of 0.0 (no sacks, no QB hits) — the only right tackle with a perfect rate other than the Texans’ Tytus Howard. Johnson owns the highest pass-blocking grade (85.0) for right tackles since 2023, per Pro Football Focus. And it’s been done with very little assistance on the outside, as Eagles’ tackles are routinely near the top of the league in island rate.
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That level of sustained dominance has resulted in six Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections, likely putting him on a Hall of Fame trajectory. It also has played a major role in the team’s success: The Eagles are 120-62-1 in games he has played compared with 15-24-0 in games he has not, including playoffs, since drafting him in the first round of the 2013 draft. They average 26.3 points per game and 369 yards per game with him in the lineup versus 22.1 PPG and 336.3 YPG without him.
Johnson was a cornerstone on the Super Bowl champion teams in 2017 and 2024.
The 2025 Eagles are somewhat accustomed to life without Johnson, as a stinger earlier in the season and an ankle injury in Week 10 against the Green Bay Packers forced him to the sideline for extended stretches.
Fred Johnson, a seven-year veteran, has replaced Lane at right tackle. General manager Howie Roseman’s move to bring Fred Johnson into the fold — he traded a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Jaguars for him in late August — was key, as he’s been solid when filling in.
Now Fred Johnson will have to prove he can sustain that level of play over a longer stretch, beginning with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox).
The Eagles’ depth will be immediately tested on the field. They have been leaning into six offensive line packages of late to try to kick-start their ground game. Fred Johnson got the call in those jumbo packages, a responsibility that will now fall to Matt Pryor, who has been up and down in spot appearances.
Philadelphia has one of the best offensive line coaches in the league in Jeff Stoutland, and he has proved time and again that he is excellent in developing and preparing his players, which has helped reduce the drop-off when a backup is called into action.
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But this is an offense that has yet to find its footing. The Eagles have been top-notch in the red zone but rank 25th in total yards (300.1 per game), 28th in passing (184.9) and 29th in third-down conversion rate (33.87%). They’re averaging 115 rushing yards per game (17th in NFL), compared with 179 in 2024 (second).
Part of the issue has been the health of the offensive front, with center Cam Jurgens, left guard Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson among those battling ailments that have prevented the unit from being in full form.
The loss of Johnson comes at a time when Hurts, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo & Co. are coming under scrutiny, with Philadelphia managing to score just 26 points over the past two games.
The Eagles sit at 8-2 and have made it past the most difficult part of their schedule. If all goes well, Johnson will be back in the fold late in the season as they prepare for another playoff push.
The next month or so will be about piecing it together before the return of Johnson, who has long shown that he makes just about everything better.
