Pave the ‘Lane’ for the best No. 65 in Eagles history
Lane Johnson, arguably the best right tackle in football, might be the greatest gift Chip Kelly gave to Philadelphia even if it was a Plan B.
Kelly really wanted a University of Oregon product, edge rusher Dion Jordan, at No. 4 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The Miami Dolphins also wanted Jordan and realized they would have to get in front of the Eagles to select him so the Dolphins moved up by trading with Oakland and selected Jordan with the third overall pick that year, forcing Philadelphia to “settle” for Johnson.
Jordan struggled with both PED and substance-abuse issues and was out of South Florida after playing just two seasons and missing the entire 2015 and 2016 campaigns due to suspension. A subsequent comeback in Seattle and Oakland over the past three seasons puts Jordan at 50 career games with four starts.
Johnson, despite his own PED travails, has been a stalwart for the Eagles as a three-time Pro Bowl selection, starting all 98 games he’s played for Philadelphia. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 as the Eagles made the run to the Super Bowl LII championship.
The original plan was for Johnson was to start at right tackle and ultimately move over to replace Jason Peters at LT but Johnson was so good on the right side, Peters kept chugging along on the left, and the NFL changed a bit with the so-called strong side being the domain of difference-making pass rushers like Von Miller, Khalil Mack, and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland pulled the plug on moving Johnson a few years ago and now another first-round pick, Andre Dillard, is the heir apparent to Peters.
From now until the Eagles begin the season at Washington on Sept. 13, SI.com EagleMaven will do a jersey countdown, listing the current Eagles player to wear the corresponding number to the days left before the season opener. As a bonus, we will list the top three players in team history to have that number.
Current number 65 and No. 1:
Lane Johnson. Johnson is not only one of the Eagles’ best players, he’s developed into a team leader and a key figure in the NFL overall as a proponent for offensive linemen around the league. The Texas native, along with friend and coach Duke Mayweather, created “Offensive Line Masterminds,” an offseason program that brings together NFL O-Linemen to discuss the intricacies of a position often taken for granted by the fans.
Top 3 to wear number 67:
3. King Dunlap. The “King-Sized” Dunlap is best known for his impressive 6-foot-8 frame but proved to be a competent offensive lineman after being drafted by the Eagles out of Auburn in the seventh round of the 2008 draft.
He essentially redshirted his rookie season after an ankle injury late in the preseason that year before settling in as a backup tackle for three seasons in which Dunlap was forced into action as a starter in seven of his 38 games played over that span.
After his rookie deal expired Dunlap was valued enough to be brought back on a one-year deal in for the 2012 season and saw the most extensive action of his career to that point, starting in 12 games at left tackle after Jason Peters went down with a torn Achilles’.
Dunlap held up well enough to earn a two-year deal with the then-San Diego Chargers in 2013 and became a starter at LT in all 46 games he played there over four seasons. In 2014 had his best season being honored by his teammates as the Chargers’ O-Lineman of the Year and earning a four-year, $28 million extension. By 2017, however, Dunlap was out of football.
The Eagles hope to get similar production out of another Auburn late-round OT from the 2020 draft, this one not a ‘King’ but a ‘Prince,' sixth-rounder Prince Tega Wanogho.
2. Charlie Johnson: One of the more underrated players in Eagles’ history, Charlie Johnson made three consecutive Pro Bowls as one of the game’s best run-stuffers and was an All-Pro during the team’s run toward Super Bowl XV in 1980.
The former seventh-round pick out of Colorado, however, only spent five seasons in Philadelphia after butting heads with Dick Vermeil forcing a trade to Minnesota for a second-round pick by the 1982 campaign.
Johnson was a full-time starter by his second season and started 70 consecutive games (including playoffs) over the next four seasons for the Eagles. Known as a very savvy player, Johnson used his smarts to snare four interceptions, and amass seven fumble recovers from the interior of the defensive line. He finished his career as a three-year starter with the Vikings.
1. See Above.
Runner-up. Mark Dennard. An offensive center, Dennard was once a 10th-round pick of the Dolphins in 1978 who was forced into action as a rookie and proved to be competent enough to be the full-time starter by his second season. He lasted five seasons in South Florida but was a backup for the final two before coming to Philadelphia where Dennard started all 32 games at OC in 1984 and 1985.
Others: Bob Suffridge, Cliff Patton, Dan Rogas, Jess Richardson, Tom Dimmick, Menil Mavraides, Harold Bradley, Jerry Huth, Jim Beaver, John Mellekas, Bill Stetz, Henry Allison, Roy Kirksey, Rosie Manning, Bob Landsee, Gary Bolden, Ron Solt, Ron Hallstrom, Moe Elewonibi, Bubba Miller, Jamaal Green, and Keyonta Marshall.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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