A recent internet debate has been firing back and forth over who is the best right tackle in the NFL, with Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles right in the middle. The thing is, when it comes to Johnson, it's a moot point since he has graduated to a new level.
Well, it's the NFL offseason with training camp right around the corner, which means excitment and anticipation is at a fever pitch. To pass the time, fans and talking heads alike in the NFL community pass the time by embracing debate. One that has recently made the rounds on the social media is centered around who is the best right tackle in football, with Johnson and Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions being thew two most worthy candidates.
Here is the thing though, it doesn't matter when it comes to Lane Johnson when you try to compare him to his NFL contemporaries. It's a waste of time.
Even if you think there's a right tackle, or any tackle really, currently better than Johnson then that's just fine and dandy. It doesn't matter. Why? Well, because Johnson has been so great for so long he's no longer in the same class as the current crop of NFL right tackles. At this point, he is playing to beat the best to ever do it at his position.
It happens to all the great ones, and while quarterbacks get the most shine, the big uglies can reach the final form too. Let's look at the facts.
As we currently stand, Johnson is a six-time Pro Bowl selection, and twice was named first-team All-Pro, and thrice second-team. It's also worth noting that the AP only started naming a left and right tackle and guard to their All-Pro teams in 2016.
That's not all, though. Johnson has been an anchor on offensive lines for two NFL rushing champions (LeSean McCoy in 2013 when Johnson was a rookie and Saquon Barkley this past 2024 season), as well as two second-team All-Pro quarterbacks with Carson Wentz in 2017 and Jalen Hurts in 2022.
Of course, there's also the notches on his belt of being a two-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time NFC champion. In accomplishing all this, he's made some of the premiere pass-rushers in the NFL look like his sons. If you need proof, the cherry on top of this Sunday sundae is that Johnson currently holds the record with 26 straight games without allowing a sack, and has only allowed ONE in his last 700 snaps. Certified lunacy.
While the offensive line has only recently started getting more shine, the left tackle has often been the "glamor spot" of the unit. However, there are still a mighty fine collection of Hall of Fame right tackles currently enshrined in Canton.
To name a few, there was 6'9" Bob St. Clair of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1950s and early 1960s. The 60s were also something of a goldmine for the right tackle spot with guys like Forrest Gregg, who Vince Lombardi called the best football player he coached, Ron Mix of the San Diego Chargers, a first-team All-AFL selection for ten straight years, and former Eagle Bob Brown.
The 1970s featured Ron Yary of the Minnesota Vikings and Eagles NFC East rivals like Dan Dierdorf of the (then St. Louis) Cardinals and Rayfield Wright of the Dallas Cowboys. Jackie Slater enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Rams that spanned multiple decades and cities, and the list goes on.
The point is, these are the right tackles that Johnson now finds himself competing with. He already has a strong case to be towards the top (if not sitting at it) of that list of legendary right tackles in the history of the National Football League.
Read more:PFF just ended any outlandish debate on this position group owned by Eagles
Eagles fans are blessed. In this phenomenal period of Philadelphia Eagles football, the most fruitful in franchise history, a main factor of the success has been out-of-this-world offensive line play, with the longest-tenured cog in the wheel being Johnson. He is arguably the greatest right tackle of all time, so comparing him to today's players is not worth the effort.