With four of the five starters on the Eagles’ offensive line being considered top players at their respective positions, it’s not too concerning that the team’s new starting right guard might not be of that caliber.
Former Eagles right guard Mekhi Becton, who turned around his career last year with Philadelphia, signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, leaving the Eagles vulnerable on the right side of their offensive line.
Tyler Steen, the front runner to win the right guard job, has only started three games in his first two NFL seasons, sitting behind Cam Jurgens in 2023 and Becton in 2024.
Kenyon Green, who may challenge Steen at right guard, struggled in his 23 starts with the Houston Texans, before getting traded to the Eagles this offseason. Sixth-year veteran Matt Pryor, a sleeper to win the right guard competition, had the best season of his career with the Chicago Bears in 2024, but he hasn’t been reliable in past years.
The winner of this training camp battle will be viewed as the Eagles’ biggest liability on offense this year.
But despite this concern, Philadelphia’s offensive line, led by two All-Pro offensive tackles (Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson), a Pro Bowl center (Jurgens) and one of the NFL’s best left guards (Landon Dickerson), still came in at No. 1 in Pro Football Focus’ offensive line rankings for 2025.
“The Eagles boast the NFL’s best offensive tackle duo, featuring two players who rank at the top of their respective positions,” PFF’s Zoltàn Buday wrote this week. “Left tackle Jordan Mailata’s 95.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 led all offensive tackles, while right tackleLane Johnson’s 88.9 mark placed fifth. There is some uncertainty along Philadelphia’s interior following right guardMekhi Becton‘s departure, butLandon Dickerson andCam Jurgens remain to make this the best offensive line in football entering the 2025 season.”
After missing a few weeks of training camp last summer due to an injury, Steen was beaten out by Becton.
If Steen, whom the Eagles selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, doesn’t win the job this summer, he could fall into backup purgatory for the rest of his career.
Playing next to Johnson and Jurgens, Steen’s strengths could be maximized and his weaknesses could be minimized.
Becton’s pass protection woes never became a big issue. But his strong run blocking, on the other hand, helped pave the way for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley’s historical season.
Maybe the Eagles can get the most out of Steen — like they did with Becton. Player development is Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s speciality, but not all of his projects will be a masterpiece. Some are bound to fail.
Uncertainty at right guard is a small problem compared to the issues of most other NFL teams. If Steen develops into a good starter, the Eagles will almost seem flawless.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached atCSteele@njadvancemedia.com
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.