Lane Johnson - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Lane Johnson Will Start Sunday

November 29th, 2019 at 10:02am CST by Marc Delucchi

Eagles starting right tackle Lane Johnson was cleared from the league’s concussion protocol and will return to the lineup on Sunday, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Johnson sustained a concussion in Philadelphia’s Week 11 matchup against the Patriots and missed last week’s 17-9 loss to the Seahawks.

Johnson’s return will be a sign of relief for the Eagles, who were without the entire starting right side of their offensive line last week. Philadelphia’s offense, especially quarterback Carson Wentz, have appeared in disarray in recent weeks, but playing some of the best defenses in football without full strength along their offensive front just added to a perfect storm of problems.

While the team is surely disappointed with a 5-6 start to the season, the rest of the division’s struggles leaves them within striking distance of a playoff spot. After the Cowboys loss on Thanksgiving dropped them to 6-6, Philly is only a half-game back for the division lead in the NFC East. Furthermore, the Eagles will host the Cowboys in Week 16 and have a much easier schedule than their division foe. Dallas’ opponents, aside from the Eagles, have a combined 14-20 record while Philadelphia’s have just a combined 8-36 record.

Tackle Notes: Saints, Bulaga, Bolles, Eagles

November 25th, 2019 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints have encountered more offensive line injury trouble, and it comes at a bad time. Left tackle Terron Armstead is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The standout blocker will miss Thursday’s game against the Falcons, and while New Orleans’ subsequent mini-bye would give the seventh-year blocker a chance to return against the 49ers, these are usually multi-week injuries. With left guard Andrus Peat sidelined with a broken arm, the Saints may be missing the left side of their high-end offensive line when they face the 49ers’ dominant pass rush in Week 14. Journeyman Patrick Omameh, whom the Giants cut after his short run as one of their guard starters, replaced Armstead on Sunday.

A lot of news affecting tackles around the league has emerged. Here is the latest:

Bryan Bulaga‘s knee injury appears to be a minor issue. The Packers‘ longtime right tackle left Sunday night’s game in San Francisco, but Rapoport notes (via Twitter) he is believed to be battling an MCL sprain instead of ACL trouble. Bulaga will likely miss some time but looks to be able to return this season.
As an Eagles season with Super Bowl aspirations veers closer to one of the more disappointing campaigns in recent NFL history, Philadelphia at least will likely have its Pro Bowl right tackle back this week. Lane Johnson expects to be cleared from concussion protocol on Tuesday, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Johnson missed Sunday’s loss against the Seahawks.
Vic Fangio appears ready to either bench underwhelming left tackle Garett Bolles or minimize his playing time. The Broncos’ first-year coach said Monday he’s going to shake up left tackle, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. This will be contingent on right tackle Ja’Wuan James‘ availability. Fangio said the seldom-seen free agent signing has been cleared from his latest injury, but it doesn’t look like James is a lock to return to action. He would likely play right tackle, with current right tackle Elijah Wilkinson shifting to the left side. If James returns, Bolles may be set for the first benching of his three-year career. The former first-round pick has not come especially close to living up to expectations, and the Broncos are unlikely to pick up his fifth-year option.
The Bears will be without their right tackle for a bit. Bobby Massie suffered a high ankle sprain against the Giants and will miss a few weeks, Rapoport tweets. This is Massie’s fourth season as Chicago’s starting right tackle; he re-signed this offseason on a four-year extension. Massie has only missed two games in his Bears tenure.
After their third straight 34-point game, the Jets are likely to have to again reconfigure their offensive line. Rookie right tackle Chuma Edoga suffered an MCL sprain, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Adam Gase confirmed the 2019 draftee is dealing with an MCL issue and is week-to-week. The Jets have made numerous changes on their offensive front this season. Benched right tackle Brandon Shell, who came in for Kelvin Beachum after he suffered an ankle malady Sunday, may be called upon to re-enter the lineup. Beachum suffered a sprained ankle but may not miss any time.

Injury Updates: Rams, Clowney, Brady

November 23rd, 2019 at 10:34am CST by Ben Levine

Rams wideout Brandin Cooks is set to return from the fifth known concussion of his six-year career. While the veteran has continually been sidelined by the dangerous head injury, he told reporters that his latest concussion didn’t make him consider retirement.

“Absolutely not,” Cooks told ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry. “When it happened, that never went through my mind. Even now, it’s not going through my mind.”

Cooks suffered a pair of concussions in a 25-day span, and he traveled to Pittsburgh twice to meet with the director of the UPMC Sports Medicine Concussion Program. Following those meetings, Cooks felt comfortable returning to the field.

“One of the biggest things that I learned, concussions is a case-by-case thing,” said Cooks. “Mine was very unique, and just thankful once again to be able to go and get answers.”

Cooks won’t be the only Rams receiver returning to the lineup. Thiry writes that Robert Woods returned to practice this week after missing last week’s contest due to “personal issues.” The 6-4 Rams will take on the Ravens on Monday night.

Let’s check out some more injury notes from around the NFL…

Seahawks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is a game-time decision after missing three practices this week due to a hip injury, tweets ESPN’s Brady Henderson. Coach Pete Carroll told reporters that Clowney didn’t travel with the team to Philadelphia as he gets his hip checked out. Clowney suffered the injury during Monday’s win over the 49ers. In his first season with Seattle, the 26-year-old has compiled 25 tackles, three sacks, and three forced fumbles.
The Eagles will be dealing with injuries of their own, as Lane Johnson is set to miss the matchup against Seattle. The veteran right tackle suffered a head injury during last weekend’s loss to the Patriots, and he remains in the concussion protocol. Rookie first-rounder Andre Dillard will slide into the starting lineup.
No surprise here, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will play vs. the Cowboys tomorrow. The 42-year-old was listed as questionable on the injury report thanks to an elbow injury. Brady hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the 2008 campaign.
Some good news on the Giants injury front: the team announced that wideout Sterling Shepard, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, and offensive lineman Nate Solder have all cleared concussion protocol and will play Sunday against the Bears. Jenkins and Solder both left the Giants’ Week 10 loss to the Jets, while Shepard hasn’t seen the field since Week 5.

Eagles Notes: Johnson, Ajayi, Mills

November 18th, 2019 at 7:52pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick look at a few items from the City of Brotherly Love:

Eagles starting RT Lane Johnson is in the concussion protocol, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Johnson suffered a head injury during Sunday’s loss to the Patriots, and while he tried to play through it, the injury worsened and he was ultimately forced to exit (Twitter link via McLane).
The Eagles can ill afford to lose Johnson, arguably the best right tackle in football, as they fight for the NFC East title. But if they are without Johnson for any period of time, they could turn to rookie Andre Dillard rather than veteran Halapoulivaati Vaitai, as McLane tweets.
Jay Ajayi finally found an NFL home for 2019 when he signed with the Eagles on Friday. Interestingly, the deal includes a right of first refusal for 2020, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. So if it wants, Philadelphia can match any offer Ajayi receives on the open market, which could be significant if the team lets Jordan Howard walk in free agency.
Cornerback Jalen Mills is eligible for free agency this offseason, and while he is not perfect, he has been very good since returning from injury in Week 7, and McLane says Mills may be playing his way into a second contract with the Eagles (Twitter link).
Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com believes the Eagles need to completely overhaul their WR corps this offseason, and he offers a few names the club could target in free agency and the draft. He also says the Eagles could find a trade partner for Alshon Jeffery and/or DeSean Jackson, though obviously the returns on either player would be minimal.

Johnson, Goedert To Miss Rest Of Preseason

August 10th, 2019 at 8:56pm CST by Micah Powell

Eagles tackle Lane Johnson and tight end Dallas Goedert are expected to miss the rest of the preseason with injuries, Reuben Frank of NBC Sports writes.

Johnson, the two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle, didn’t play in the Eagles’ preseason opener vs. the Titans but is listed with a knee injury on the team’s report. Frank adds that it isn’t a serious concern and if the season opener vs. the Redskins was this week, Johnson would likely be on the field.

Goedert, the second-year tight end, did participate in Thursday’s game against the Titans and logged three catches for 50 yards on just 12 snaps. During that run, however, he also suffered a calf injury. Like Johnson, though, Goedert isn’t expected to miss any time in the regular season.

Both players figure to feature prominently in 2019, as the Eagles enter the campaign as one of the favorites in the NFC to contend for a spot in Super Bowl LIV. Johnson has appeared in 15 games in each of the last two seasons, during which he emerged as one of the league’s top all-around linemen. Though he plays behind star Zach Ertz, Goedert impressed as a rookie in 2018, logging 33 catches for 334 yards and four touchdowns.

The Eagles suffered another injury on Thursday, when backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld broke a bone in his left wrist. He underwent surgery on Friday and is expected to be out for at least six weeks.

Contract Details: Smith, Kelce, Johnson

March 7th, 2019 at 8:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL:

Donovan Smith, T (Buccaneers): Three years, $41.25MM. $27MM fully guaranteed. Guaranteed 2019 base salary of $7MM with a $5.5MM roster bonus. Guaranteed $14.5MM base salary in 2020. Non-guaranteed $14.25MM base salary in 2021. $5MM of 2019 salary deferred until 6/15/20. $3MM of 2020 salary deferred until 3/5/21. Deferrals have no impact on salary cap (Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com).
Jason Kelce, C (Eagles): Extended through 2021. $7.57MM signing bonus. 2019 base salary reduced from $6.5MM to $930K. 2020 base salary reduced from $7MM to $1.5MM with a $2MM roster bonus. $500K playing time escalator available in 2020 for playing 90% of offensive snaps. 2021 base salary of $5.5MM (Twitter links via Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia).
Denzelle Good, OL (Raiders): Extended through 2019. One-year, $1.7MM. $500K signing bonus. $200K per-game roster bonuses. $100K workout bonus. $1.2MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal).
Lane Johnson, T (Eagles): Restructured contract. Created $8.2MM in cap space by converting $10.045MM of his 2019 base salary into a signing bonus. Base salary is now $805K (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Added voidable years in 2022-23 (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
Mike Person, OL (49ers): Three years, $8.25MM. $2.45MM fully guaranteed. $1MM roster bonus, $1.45MM fully guaranteed 2019 base salary. $250K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com).
Romeo Okwara, DE (Lions): Two years, $6.8MM. $2.705MM signing bonus. 2019 base salary of $720K fully guaranteed. $500 workout bonus in 2019 (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).

Eagles Restructure Lane Johnson’s Deal

March 5th, 2019 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have restructured Lane Johnson‘s contract for cap purposes, a source tells Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). Details on the new deal are not yet known.

Johnson, 29 in May, also restructured his deal with the Eagles roughly one year ago. After earning his second straight Pro Bowl appearance in 2018, the Eagles are happy to keep him in the fold.

Johnson was tied for No. 12 (with Alejandro Villanueva of the Steelers) on Pro Football Focus’ rankings for offensive tackles last season. The 78.1 overall score was technically his lowest since 2013, but it was still a fine showing in terms of the advanced metrics and more or less consistent with his previous work.

The biggest blip on Johnson’s career was a ten-game ban for performance enhancing drugs in 2016. Johnson, who was suspended as a repeat offender, said the ’16 test was the result of an NFLPA-approved supplement. He took action against both the league and the union in 2017.

Eagles RB Darren Sproles Suffers Setback, Will Miss Multiple Weeks

November 11th, 2018 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

Sunday, 8:55am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Sproles is expected to miss multiple weeks (one estimate suggested an absence of three to four weeks). The Eagles will be cautious with him so that when he returns to the field, he will be back for good. The way Sproles’ injury was handled by the team’s medical staff may be cause for concern, as we detailed yesterday.

Thursday, 11:39am: Earlier this week, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he expected Darren Sproles to play on Sunday versus the Cowboys. Unfortunately, those plans were derailed after the running back aggravated his hamstring injury (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).

Sproles has not been on the field since hurting his hamstring in practice prior to the Eagles’ Week 2 game. Sproles showed significant improvement this week and the team believed that Sproles would be able to resume punt-return duties against the Cowboys. Instead of facing Dallas and joining Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement in the backfield rotation, Sproles’ outlook for the rest of the season is now in question.

Sproles’ 2017 was shortened by multiple injuries in September, meaning that he has played in just three games over the last two years. He already cashed in on a $1MM guarantee for this year, but Sproles is eager to resume the form that earned him three straight Pro Bowl nods between 2014-2016.

On the plus side, Eagles tackle Lane Johnson resumed practice this week after recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Pederson is hopeful that Johnson will play, but that would mark a faster-than-usual turnaround from the injury.

Lane Johnson Tears MCL

October 28th, 2018 at 11:47am CST by Rory Parks

Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered an MCL tear in his left knee during the team’s win over Jacksonville in London today, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles are on a bye next week, but Johnson nonetheless could miss an extended period of time. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Johnson, who was already dealing with an ankle injury (to the same leg), will be sidelined for about a month. McLane adds that the 2017 First Team All-Pro will have further testing when the team returns to Philadelphia.

Johnson, whom the team selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 draft, is having another excellent season. He is currently ranked as the 10th-best tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and the Eagles — whose running game is already sputtering — will miss him dearly during his absence.

Johnson’s fellow bookend, left tackle Jason Peters, also left today’s game with a head injury. Though Peters did return to action, he has not been playing to his usual standards this year, and he is dealing with other health issues of his own (plus, he is 36 and is clearly on the tail end of his career).

There have been no trade rumors surrounding tackles in advance of Tuesday’s trade deadline, and the Eagles will likely ask Halapoulivaati Vaitai to fill in at right tackle while Johnson is out.

Johnson signed a lucrative five-year extension in January 2016, which was restructured (to his benefit) last March. He is under club control through 2021.

Eagles Don’t View RB As Key Need?

October 13th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some big-name running backs have been connected to the defending Super Bowl champions as trade possibilities after news broke of Jay Ajayi‘s season-ending ACL tear. But the Eagles may not view the position as a must-address spot.

The Eagles don’t see running back as one of their top needs as the trade deadline nears, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Instead, Philadelphia views its tackle situation and the need for consistent cover men to emerge as bigger deficiencies than running back post-Ajayi.

The Eagles have done their due diligence about what it would take to acquire a big name, however. Breer reports Philly made calls to both Pittsburgh and Buffalo about the respective availability of Le’Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy.

Recalling the Eagles’ 11th-hour trade for Ajayi last year, it shouldn’t be ruled out the team will use some of the recent cap space (now up to $10.4MM) it created by reworking Fletcher Cox‘s deal on this position. But Breer does not consider it likely the Eagles trade for a running back.

Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood split time on Thursday night against the Giants, combining for 94 rushing yards and a touchdown. A UDFA out of Wisconsin, Clement’s missed time due to injury this season. But he came up in Super Bowl LII. Smallwood came into the season as the Eagles’ No. 4 back — behind Ajayi, Clement and the now-injured Darren Sproles — but is averaging 4.7 yards per carry in an extended look this season.

Philadelphia’s still waiting on Sidney Jones‘ development, per Breer, and does not have much in the way of reliability beyond Ronald Darby at cornerback. Even though Jason Peters has encountered a potentially constraining biceps injury, he and Lane Johnson represent one of the NFL’s top tackle pairs. But the team is seeing Johnson “underachieve” this season, and a torn biceps may not be the kind of malady Peters can simply play through.