For the first time in a very long time, the Philadelphia Eagles have question marks along their offensive line, and the last few days have not done much to give Eagles fans any reason to feel comfortable that things will go off without a hitch in 2024.
Yes, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson will be back to hold down the starting tackle spots, and two-time Pro Bowler Landon Dickerson will remain Philadelphia's starting left guard. But out goes Jason Kelce, an eventual Hall of Fame shoo-in who retired after a 13-year career which included Philly's first Super Bowl title and six All-Pro appearances. As a result, Cam Jurgens will move over from right guard to center, leaving former 2020 1st round pick Mekhi Becton and 2023 3rd rounder Tyler Steen to battle it out for the final starting spot along the offensive line. Neither Steen nor Becton is much of a sure-thing at this point in time, and even worse, neither of them are healthy.
Steen was bounced out of action early during Philadelphia's second preseason game this past Thursday, when a lingering ankle issue was reaggravated in the 14-13 win over the Patriots. Just two days later at Eagles practice, Mekhi Becton was the latest casualty, leaving a gaping hole at right guard.
“Mekhi Becton is heading indoors,” tweets Tim McManus of ESPN.com. “He’s been limping for much of practice and seemed to be in noticeable discomfort.”
Steen started just one game for the Eagles during his rookie season, but appeared in ten others, mostly on special teams. Even though he's largely unproven, Steen was listed as the starter on Philadelphia's first unofficial depth chart of the preseason. Becton meanwhile came into the league with tons of promise as the 11th overall pick in 2020, but after four disappointing and injury-plagued seasons with the New York Jets, he looks to rehabilitate his image in Philadelphia playing for a franchise that has produced it's share of top-tier offensive linemen.
Eagles offensive line surprisingly in flux heading into 2024
It's no longer commonplace that NFL franchise are able (or willing) to retain key front office figures and members of the coaching staff long enough to create something of a stable and well-established organizational identity. Nowadays, it seems that most owners are far too impatient to ever let a general manager's vision materialize, ignoring the fact that the most well-run franchises have captured this degree of top-to-bottom, year-over-year continuity. The Philadelphia Eagles, under general manager Howie Roseman, are one of those teams who have done things the right way.
Roseman has had a role within the Eagles organization since 2000, starting first as a front office intern and within a decade, being named General Manager. Since 2010, when Roseman took over as GM in Philadelphia, the Eagles have had a total of eight players along the offensive or defensive lines — Jason Peters, Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Jason Babin, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Haason Redick — who have been named an All-Pro at least once during their tenure in Philly.
If you're a betting man, then you'd assume that the monstrous Jordan Mailata is on his way to at least one All-Pro season. Landon Dickerson has those two Pro Bowl appearances in just three NFL seasons, so an All-Pro season is not out of the realm of possibility. On the other side of the ball, Roseman has used recent 1st round picks on a pair of high upside Georgia Bulldogs defensive linemen, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, who were brought to Philly to follow in Fletcher Cox's footsteps.
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