Lane Johnson, Dallas Goedert Set to Play Against Raiders in Las Vegas
PHILADELPHIA - Eagles star right tackle Lane Johnson is expected to start Sunday in Las Vegas after pressing pause on his season to deal with anxiety and depression issues.
Johnson was forced to leave the Eagles hours before the Oct. 3 loss to the Kansas City and subsequently missed games at Carolina and against Tampa Bay before rejoining the team earlier this week and hitting the practice field Wednesday on a limited basis.
Johnson was upgraded to a full participant on Thursday and Friday and coach Nick Sirianni gave the all-clear after Friday's walkthrough.
"I thought it went well," said Sirianni. "He had a good week of practice and we'll be expecting him to play and start at right tackle."
The Eagles (2-4) will visit the Las Vegas Raiders (4-2) on Sunday (4:05 p.m./FOX).
Philadelphia will also welcome back tight end Dallas Goedert, who missed 10 days on the Reserve/COVID-19 list while starting safety Anthony Harris is questionable with injuries to both his hands and a groin tweak.
In Johnson's absence against the Chiefs, after he was a late scratch, the Eagles' slid Jack Driscoll, who was scheduled to start at right guard, out to RT and inserted Nate Herbig at RG.
In Carolina, Jordan Mailata returned from a sprained knee to play RT while Andre Dillard, who was playing for Mailata at LT, stayed there.
With Johnson returning against the Raiders, the Eagles are back to their original starters at tackle for the first time in Week 2.
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“We’re super glad Lane’s back. You see what he’s able to do on the field, he’s one of the best tackles," Driscoll said. "... So it’s great to have him back, just in the meeting room helping the young guys out, it’s just a huge boost.”
Jason Kelce, the team's veteran center, also noted that the return of Johnson has given the Eagles a spring in their step.
"It’s great to have him back. Lane’s an awesome person, an awesome player," said Kelce. "He’s a guy that makes meetings just more fun to be in. Just a great guy. It’s great to have him back. I’m glad he is back. And I’m glad that he’s addressing some of these issues. I think that we’re all really happy for Lane to be here."
When Johnson, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is on the field, it generally foreshadows success for the Eagles, who are 59-38-1 when he plays and well under. 500 at 12-20 when he doesn’t.
As for Goedert, he tested positive for COVID-19 and had symptoms for the first two days that left the veteran TE a little weak. Both he and the Eagles believe he will be 100 percent from both a health and conditioning standpoint for what is expected to be an increased role with Zach Ertz traded to Arizona.
"We do [think Dallas is ready to play a full game]," said Sirianni. "We do, yeah. And you know what, we feel comfortable with the tight ends behind him, that if he has to take a break here or there, then they can.
"Because Dallas didn't get some of the reps early in the week. So, we feel really confident in the guys behind him, that if they had to go in and take those reps, that they would be able to execute. But look forward to Dallas playing a big role this weekend."
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Earlier in the week, Philadelphia activates the 21-day practice window for two players on injured reserve, TE Tyree Jackson and S K'Von Wallace, but Sirianni ruled out Jackson, who has been sidelined for about two months with a fracture in his back, for Sunday.
"Not this Sunday [for Tyree]," said the coach, "but, again, don't want to put a timetable on him. But he's looking good every day. Every day he's out there, he's looking a little better.
"Hopefully soon. I just don't want to put any added pressure on him to get back before he's ready. So, we'll see for next week or the week after that. But he looks good with some of the things he's doing out there."
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
