Bloodline Belief: Eagles Need Drew Kendall To Step Up In Year 2

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for the 2026 season, the offensive line—long the foundation of the team’s offensive success – faces renewed questions amid durability concerns, especially on the interior of the line.

Three-time Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson and two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens both battled significant injuries throughout the 2025 campaign, raising legitimate concerns about their availability and effectiveness moving forward.

The issues were so significant each player decided to try stem cell treatment in Medellin, Columbia over the offseason.

That uncertainty, along with the loss of veteran do-it-all interior reserve Brett Toth in free agency, thrusts 2025 fifth-round pick Drew Kendall into a role as a vital insurance policy.

Multiple team sources have spoken highly of Kendall as a potential versatile, pedigreed depth piece who could prove far more valuable than most realize.

Crossing Fingers

Landon Dickerson at Eagles practice. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

A season of hell for Dickerson, once a dominant force at left guard, began with a meniscus injury that needed surgery in training camp last summer and continued with back and ankle problems, all of which had Dickerson playing through pain for much of the year.

The veteran indicated he even considered retirement amid mounting health frustrations, before committingto returning in 2026, albeit on a reduced contract that shaved a year off his contract.

Dickerson’s 2025 performance showed clear regression as a player —32 pressures and five sacks allowed—tied to his injury issues.

Jurgens, meanwhile, has proven to be remarkably tough through back issues that required surgery after the 2024 campaign. He described the issue as a disc fragment wrapping around his sciatic nerve which is not correct from a medical standpoint, but playing through significant pain surely was.

Add in knee and concussion issues for Jurgens last season, and the result was significant struggles.

The top insurance policy right now at center and perhaps the entire interior is Kendall, the 168th overall pick out of Boston College in the 2025 draft.

What sets Kendall apart isn’t just his athleticism or All-ACC status from college—it’s his bloodline. His father, Pete Kendall, was a first-round pick (No. 21 overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in 1996, also out of Boston College.

Pete enjoyed a 13-year NFL career as a top-tier guard for the Seahawks, Cardinals, Jets, and Redskins, best known for his toughness and football IQ.

Drew has spoken openly about how his father’s expertise helped shape him during his own journey to the NFL. That kind of institutional knowledge could be invaluable if the Eagles’ starters miss time again.

In a league where offensive line depth can often decide playoff fates, having a young, high-IQ player with NFL DNA is never going to be a negative.

It should be noted that the 2026 season will be the first time in 14 years that Jeff Stoutland, known for his developmental skills as a coach, will not be tutoring the offensive line.

Kendall and all the Eagles’ other O-Linemen will now be led by Chris Kuper, a one-time NFL OG guard himself who coached the Minnesota offensive line for the past four years.

On paper, the Eagles’ offensive line remains elite when healthy, but the depth is lacking demonstrated performance. Kendall may be the young player to bet on.

He may not be in the headlines yet, but don’t be surprised if Kendall is needed in the 2026 season.

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