July 27, 2026
Bill Streicher/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Landon Dickerson (69) and Lane Johnson (65) took on a ton of wear last season, but they're back to try and prove that they still have a lot of good football left.
The true pride of the Philadelphia Eagles has always been in the trenches, and along the offensive line especially.
And for years now, that strength has leaned on the sustained excellence of Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Cam Jurgens as the torchbearer at center for all-timer Jason Kelce – and of course, all under the guidance of Jeff Stoutland, the O-line coach who had ascended to legend status in his own right in Philly.
But times do change, at one point or another, and with training camp set to begin this week, this Eagles' O-line, that's been so crucial to the overall makeup of the team, could be at a crossroads.
In some ways, it already is.
Stoutland left the team in February, getting ahead of new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion's impending overhaul of the offensive staff, which saw Chris Kuper get brought in as the next O-line coach.
So already, that's a difference for Johnson, Mailata, Dickerson, and Jurgens to come back to, which, to be fair, did start getting adjusted to at OTAs last month.
But then there's what they're coming back from.
Mailata made it through last season relatively unscathed, along with Tyler Steen, who completes the starting O-line.
Johnson, though, suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot in the latter half of the season, and never made it back in time for the playoffs despite some heavy efforts to try. He's also 36, and even though he's frequently maintained that he still has a few good years left in him, it will inevitably be a concern before and after every season from here of how much time he really does have.
Dickerson hurt his meniscus during the Eagles' annual open camp practice last August, which required a "minor procedure" to keep him playing. But he never looked quite like his usual Pro Bowl self after, and only got more banged up as the year went on. He's 27, with an extensive injury history now, and with a contract that was restructured to end a year earlier in 2027 amid rumors of an early retirement.
Then Jurgens had a back injury that he never fully recovered from after the 2024 Super Bowl run, and had to fly down to Colombia this past offseason to undergo stem cell treatment so that he could fully, and finally, rehab. He's 26 going on 27 and only entering his third season as the full-time starting center.
Cam Jurgens hopes that a full offseason to rehab helped him get over his back issues.
Collectively, it's been a lot of games between this core group, a lot more miles put on, and seemingly a ton more wear that really showed last year, which now puts a lot riding on a full bounce-back in health from everyone along the line coming into a new system.
And that seems like a lot to ask, when there are already some other big questions floating around an offense that the Eagles have spent the past several months trying to revamp – like does Mannion have the know-how to run it as well as his established predecessors in Matt LaFleur and Sean McVay? Does Jalen Hurts (even after five years as the starting quarterback) have the field-reading and passing ability to effectively spread the ball around? And while there's little doubt that DeVonta Smith is ready to be a true and standalone No. 1 receiver, can rookie wideout Makai Lemon find his own way to make up for A.J. Brown's exit to New England?
Granted, none of that matters if the O-line can't protect Hurts first, while getting back to blowing lanes open for star running back Saquon Barkley, too.
So maybe the question of how much left there collectively is in the tank for Johnson, Mailata, Jurgens, Dickerson, and Steen as an offensive line is really the most pressing, even if it may not be as headlining-grabbing.
Because after all, the Eagles' pride has always been in the trenches.
And Johnson and Jurgens, who both said they're fans of Mannion's new system and believe it will afford them some added help to ease the burden, are going to be out to prove it still is, and will still run through them for a little while longer.
Maybe it's a lot to ask after so much already, but then again...
"We're paid a lot of money to do our job," Jurgens explained last month about his call to go down to Colombia to rehab. "We have to use all the resources we can."
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