Why the Eagles Backup Offensive Line Competition Matters More Than Anyone Thinks

There isn't much to nitpick when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles roster.

The front office does a good job at filling between the margins, even though there are questions regarding the depth at some of the positions on this team.

Most notable? The offensive line.

The starters are set -- Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Tyler Steen, lane Johnson. If those five are healthy, the Eagles are going to win a lot of games. Jurgens, Dickerson, and Johnson were banged up last season and the Eagles won 11 games.

What about behind the starting five? There's where the questions come in.

If any of the starters have to miss time, the Eagles will have a lot of questions about who can fill in and make a start or two. The No. 3 tackle job is up in the air, and the guard depth is one of the biggest challenges this summer.

Offensive linemen do get hurt, especially with players that have injury histories like Dickerson and a player in their mid 30s like Johnson. All five of these starters arent going to play all 17 games (and if they do, the Eagles are going to win a lot of games), so the depth of the offensive line needs to be strong.

The Eagles have prioritized the offensive line over the last 27 years, yet have seemed to not have as much of a focus as before. The backup guards are a prime example of that.

The competiton will be intense this summer across the board.

No. 3 tackle

This was a surprise what transpired over the spring. When Lane Johnson wasn't present for voluntary workouts in OTAs, it was third-round rookie Markel Bell getting the first-team reps at right tackle over Fred Johnson. Normally it's Johnson seeing those reps with the first team.

When mandatory minicamp started, Bell was with the second team at left tackle and Johnson was with the second team at right tackle.

This was supposed to be a developmental year for Bell, but is he farther along in his development than we thought. If Lane Johnson goes down, will the Eagles turn to Bell over Johnson as the No. 3 tackle?

If Bell is the No. 3 tackle over Johnson, that's a good problem to have. This could come at the expense of Johnson, who is a good swing tackle but also on a one-year deal.

Fred Johnson is the Eagles' security blanket until Bell is ready. Watching those two play tackle this summer will be a fun watch.

No. 3 guard -- and No. 4

Behind Dickerson and Steen, the guard position is a mystery.

The Eagles went into minicamp with sixth-round pick Micah Morris, 2025 sixth-round pick Myles Hinton, 2025 fifth-round pick Drew Kendall, and 2025 undrafted free agents Willie Lampkin and Hollin Pierce battling for the No. 3 guard spot. None of these players have played guard in a regular season game, and Kendall was the only one to have taken any regular season snaps at all.

Signing Michael Jordan shouldn't have come as a surprise for the Eagles, but it doesn't solve all the problems. There's no guarantee Jordan will win the No. 3 guard spot, even though he's the veteran the team needed at guard.

Jordan plays left guard, so the Eagles do have a veteran backup behind Dickerson. What about right guard?

Could Jordan do it? Or maybe Morris will develop like Bell did this spring? Maybe Kendall also cross train at guard like he did last year?

There's a lot of questions that need to be answered behind Dickerson and Steen. Lampkin, Hinton, and Pierce are battling for roster spots -- perhaps even more so than the No. 3 guard spot. There are many unknowns behind the starts, at it could bite the Eagles this summer.

Even if Jordan does work out, the Eagles may need to find another veteran guard at some point before Week 1.

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