Forget The White Noise, The Eagles' Offensive Line Is The Key To A Playoff Push

PHILADELPHIA - For all the talk about the Eagles’ playmakers, and the young and very talented defense, the foundation of the greatest modern era in franchise history was built on the foundation of the offensive line.

Howie Roseman publicly revealed that after taking Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens at No. 51 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, a luxury selection at the time where the GM explained that when things are equal on the draft board the Eagles are taking the player in the trenches.

“That’s how we roll,” Roseman said at the time.

For the first time in a long time, the Eagles’ offensive line hasn’t been one of the league’s best. Contextually, it’s still well above average and better than most O-Lines in the NFL. Still, the halcyon days of 2024 aren’t going to be recaptured in a playoff run that starts Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the San Francisco 49ers.

The biggest concern heading into this season was what 482 touches would do to superstar running back Saquon Barkley, who was coming off an NFL record 2,504 rushing yards through a Super Bowl LIX championship back in February.

Turns out most worried about that were in the right church but the wrong pew.

Injury-Plagued Season

Eagles Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens at practice. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

The physical toll of playing 21 games while bulldozing I-95-sized holes for Barkley had worn the vaunted Eagles’ offensive line down to the studs.

Jurgens had back surgery, and star left Guard Landon Dickerson underwent knee surgery. Both have looked less than healthy for the majority of the season.

Star left tackle Jordan Mailata was mused about how banged up his body was late in the season, while future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson missed the final seven games of the regular season with a Lisfranc foot sprain, and while the belief is that Johnson will try to go Sunday against the Niners, there are realistic doubts that he will finish, putting Fred Johnson on alert.

The only Eagles’ offensive linemen who has largely gotten through the grind relatively unscathed to this point is the 25-year-old Tyler Steen, a backup to Mekhi Becton last season who had the most tread of the tire to begin with.

The result was Barkley descending from a 2,005-yard regular season at 5.8 yards per carry to 1,140 and 4.1. That's the kind of stock-market collapse that gets a nickname.

Meanwhile, the belief that Philadelphia should simply toggle to pass first because of the playmakers is specious.

The Eagles are not built that way, nor is the offense designed for a traditional pocket passer.

Despite all the offensive issues this season, the Eagles still have a realistic path to another Super Bowl berth that could be navigated due to the flaws of the rest of the NFC field.

The Week 18 rest or rust conversation at the NovaCare Complex wasn’t as deep as many perceived.

It was about getting Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Steen, and Lane Johnson as right as possible for the playoffs.

Afterall, that’s how the Eagles roll.

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