Philadelphia Eagles

Lane Johnson will delay surgery, play in postseason

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Nick Sirianni spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon after news broke that Lane Johnson decided to forego season-ending surgery for his abdominal injury.

Lane Johnson will delay surgery on his torn adductor and try to play in the postseason, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The report was confirmed by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark.

Johnson, the Eagles’ four-time Pro Bowl right tackle, suffered the injury with five minutes left in the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys Saturday night at AT&T Stadium and did not return to the game. 

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Johnson, selected to his fourth Pro Bowl team last week, is the best right tackle in football when he’s healthy, and he’s played as well as he ever has this year. According to Pro Football Focus, he hasn’t allowed a sack since a game against the Browns in Cleveland in November 2020 and hasn’t allowed a quarterback hit since the Raiders game last October.

Can Johnson function at a high level playing on an injury that is expected to require surgery? We’ll see. But at this point in his career now in his 10th season with the Eagles he’s earned the right to try.

The Eagles will clinch a 1st-round bye with either a win over the Saints Sunday at the Linc or against the Giants a week from Sunday at the Linc. If they earn a bye, they will play the weekend of Jan. 21-22. If they don’t, they would open up in the postseason the weekend of Jan. 14-16. 

If the Eagles are off wild-card weekend, Johnson would have a month of rehab and recovery, as opposed to three weeks if the Eagles don’t secure the top seed. 

Jack Driscoll is likely to replace Johnson at right tackle, although Jeff Stoutland does have the option of swinging left tackle Jordan Mailata to right tackle and playing former 1st-round pick Andre Dillard at left tackle. 

Driscoll, a 4th-round pick in 2020, has started 14 games in his career, including four at right tackle as a rookie and a fifth last year at right tackle. He also started eight games at right guard last year and one game – at Arizona – this year at left tackle.

The Eagles, 13-2, are ranked No. 1 in the NFL in offense at 29.7 points per game. They’re No. 1 according to PFF as a pass blocking unit with Johnson with an 81.9 grade and No. 10 in run blocking.

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