The Philadelphia Eagles have not played a football game in over a month. Yet, packed in those 30 days since their season came to an end at the hands of a banged up San Francisco 49ers team has been a fury of surprising changes and jolting rumors and news.
And there is potentially more on the horizon.
Aside from a 33-year-old first-time offensive coordinator now overseeing the most expensive offense in the NFL or Jeff Stoutland, the beloved offensive line coach announcing his decision to leave the team after an impressive 13-year run after being unhappy with how changes transpired last season, there is even more uncertainty involving the keystone of offense…the offensive line.
The Eagles have been fortunate to sustain exceptional play from their offensive line throughout Stoutland’s tenure. 27 Pro Bowl selections help cement that. The emergence of Jordan Mailata from rugby player to All-Pro left tackle is an impressive indicator. Stoutland oversaw the line and run game that paved the way for Saquon Barkley’s historic season in 2024, ultimately leading the Eagles to their second Super Bowl win.
However, this past season was perhaps the first failing semester for the pupils attending Stoutland University in quite some time.
Injuries, below average play and lack of execution forced cracks within the behemoth wall that serves as the first line of defense for Jalen Hurts and Barkley.
Now, that wall might be starting to crumble.
On Thursday, in his podcast “unCovering the Birds”, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested that left guard Landon Dickerson return next season is not concrete.
“Landon Dickerson may be even more of a question mark to me,” McLane said when referencing Lane Johnson’s future plans with the team that also seem to be in limbo with the combination of his return from the Lisfranc sprain that forced him to miss the final seven games of the regular season and the NFC Wild Card game.
The three-time Pro Bowler signed a four-year, $84 million extension in 2024. Yet, the 2025 season was his most physically challenging campaign in his short five-year career. He suffered a meniscus injury in training camp but ultimately played in 15 games but was not himself at all. He also dealt with an ankle issue that also caused his performance to be subpar.
In 2024, he suffered a knee injury in the NFC Championship game against Washington but did not carry an injury designation heading into Super Bowl 59. In 2023, he suffered his second of two thumb injuries which had to be surgically repaired both times. in 2022, he dealt with a foot injury, but played through it not missing any time. He started his pro career missing time due to a knee injury in the preseason.
Prior to sliding to the 37th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Dickerson tore his left ACL in the 2020 SEC Championship game. In his first season in college at Florida State he tore his right ACL.
At 27, Dickerson’s body has been through the ringer. At the end of the NFC Wild Card loss, the dejected lineman provided an answer that perhaps was foreshadowing his contemplation about his future.
“There’s a lot of great guys in the locker room. A lot of great coaches, a lot of great people upstairs. Every team has a one year expiration on it. This team will never be put together again,” Dickerson said.
When asked if he felt confident he could make a full recovery from his injuries he replied: “If I had that answer, I’d feel a lot better.”
He also bluntly said that this past season was “s--tty” compared to seasons in the past when playing through injuries.
Dickerson retiring at his age would be somewhat unprecedented, but not unheard of for a player to call it a career prior to turning 30.
Andrew Luck retired at 29 due to chronic pain and losing his passion for the game. Linebacker Luke Kuechly called it a career at 28. Hall of fame running backs Jim Brown and Gale Sayers ended their careers at 29 and 28, respectively.
Dickerson has yet to make a public statement regarding his possible decision. If he does opt to call it quits, it will be a significant blow to the offensive line.
With the recent news of Stoutland’s departure, increased speculation surrounded what the future Hall of Famer in Johnson might be thinking. After all, he and Stoutland worked together for the entire duration of Johnson’s 13-year career.
McLane said he “is not sure if he’s (Johnson) is coming back or not,” noting the Stoutland news could make it less likely he does.
However, Brian Baldinger of NFL Network said on Anthony Gargano’s show on PHLY that he feels Johnson will be back for another season.
“He also said something that kind of shocked me: ‘I’m going to give these guys a chance. Whoever it is, I’m going to give him a chance.”
Those guys include 33-year-old offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, 35-year-old pass game coordinator Josh Grizzard and recently hired run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey who is 38 and whomever the Eagles hire as a new offensive line coach.
Johnson will enter his age 35 season and has been an anchor to the offensive line playing in 168 career regular season games and 15 more playoff games including three Super Bowls.
Yet if the duo in Dickerson and Johnson both decide to call it a career along with the captain already setting sail, Howie Roseman will have his work cut out for him in order to keep the ship afloat with a new offensive regime taking over.
