One Surprise Eagles Cut That No One Could Project After OTAs

Thinking about what players that won't be on the Philadelphia Eagles roster come September is difficult in some aspects.

Minicamp can give some indication of where a team is leaning, but things can change significantly between June and five weeks of training camp practices.

Until the pads come on, it's hard to fully determine where things stand. Regardless, the Eagles have an interesting development brewing at right tackle.

Markel Bell was selected in the third round as the long-term replacement for Lane Johnson. This was supposed to be a developmental year for Bell, as he was set to be the No. 4 tackle on the Eagles roster and learn how to play right tackle under Lane Johnson.

In the first minicamp practice open to the media, Johnson was not present (this is the voluntary portion). Fred Johnson -- the No. 3 tackle -- typically is on the the first team if Johnson and Jordan Mailata are out.

Johnson wasn't the right tackle with the first team. Bell was, just weeks after he was drafted.

Johnson was on the second team at left tackle, an interesting development as mandatory minicamp gets underway. This could all change later this week and as the summer unfolds, but what does this mean for Johnson's future?

Is Bell further along in his development than we thought?

Bell is still learning the ins and outs of right tackle, and he hasn't signed his rookie contract yet. Learning right tackle is significantly different than left tackle, which is where Bell played in college. Patience will be a virtue here.

Are the Eagles just putting Bell with the first team to give him reps at right tackle? Get him accustomed to playing next to Tyler Steen and maximize all the right tackle reps as possible? This is a reminder Bell can still get those reps on the second team as well.

Bell playing right tackle on the first team over Johnson is significant. The Eagles are preparing Bell to play meaningful regular season snaps in case Johnson misses time due to injury. Johnson has missed at least two games in four of the past five years, so this makes sense to prepare Bell for a potential start.

This is a reason why the Eagles drafted Bell. He wasn't a pick for 2026, but perhaps he could help the team this season.

Is Johnson in danger of being cut?

Johnson signed a one-year deal with the Eagles to be the swing tackle in March, so he knew the system under Sean Mannion and the offensive line coaching changes (Chris Kuper in, Jeff Stoutland out). This offense isn't unfamiliar to Johnson, even though he was a Stoutland guy.

One-yera deals are what they are. Nothing is a given and the team doesn't owe any player with a one-year contract anything. Johnson falls into that category, even with an interesting contract.

If the Eagles were to cut Johnson, they would owe $100,000 against the salary cap thanks to four void years on his contract. There may be financial incentive not to cut Johnson, who still is liked up to be the No. 3 tackle.

Still, a cap number of $1.46 million isn't much an easy to part ways with. The depth chart at tackle could also indicate Johnson's fate.

How will Cameron Williams develop? Could the Eagles move Myles Hinton back to tackle (Hinton was playing left guard in OTAs). Johnson is the only veteran behind Mailata and Johnson that has played -- and succeeded -- in that role.

Even with Bell playing over Johnson at right tackle, it's hard to envision the Eagles moving on from Johnson prior to the seaosn. Johnson will need to step up this summer, but there should still be a roster spot reserved for him at tackle.

Williams and Bell would need massive training camps for the Eagles to consider moving on from Johnson.

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