The Philadelphia Eagles will be without a future Hall of Famer for a long time. But fortunately for the defending Super Bowl champions, they have a backup they believe in.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered what is believed to be a Lisfranc sprain in Sunday’s win vs. the Detroit Lions. If it is a sprain, Johnson will be out for four to six weeks, according to multiple Monday reports. That would put him in line to return for the postseason.
But there’s a chance Johnson will be out even longer. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the inflammation in Johnson’s foot needs to go down before he can have X-rays to determine if the injury requires season-ending surgery.
For however long Johnson is out, his absence is a major blow for the Eagles. There’s no sugarcoating that. The five-time All-Pro right tackle is one of the best to ever do it, and removing a player of his caliber will hurt an offense that has already struggled this season.
But the situation would be far worse if Howie Roseman didn’t make a shrewd move to acquire another Johnson they trust.
Fred Johnson, the Eagles’ backup tackle, was re-acquired in August for a seventh-round pick.
Now, Johnson is set to enter the starting lineup — and he’ll do so for a team that believes he’ll get the job done.
“The history with Fred is, he’s going to work extremely hard. He’s going to know what to do. There’s a lot of confidence in that,” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. “He’s a really good player. He’s an extremely big person and personality. He’s fun to be around, and he cares. It’s cool to see a guy like that get an opportunity. ... We know he’s going to give it all he has.”
Patullo, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, head coach Nick Sirianni and Co. know Fred Johnson will be ready. Why? Because they’ve seen it before.
This year, Fred Johnson has served as the team’s sixth offensive lineman in under-center, heavy packages to great effect. But he’s also filled in for Lane Johnson already.
Fred Johnson stepped in and played 42 snaps when Lane Johnson left the Rams game with a neck injury. When Lane left the Packers game with an ankle injury, the seventh-year vet played 37 snaps. And when Lane left the Lions game in the first quarter, he played 62 snaps. The Eagles won all of those games, and Fred Johnson allowed only one sack.
This isn’t the first time Fred Johnson has had to fill in for an All-Pro for an extended period of time, either. Last year, the 28-year-old started six games when Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata got hurt. The Eagles went 5-1 in those six games.
“Fred did an amazing job,” Mailata said last November. “Fred is awesome. Love him to death, man. He stepped up. That’s a credit to Fred and a credit to Stout for preparing him that way.”
After helping the Eagles on last year’s Super Bowl run, Johnson left as a free agent. He signed with the Jaguars in hopes of earning a starting job. That didn’t work out.
But the Eagles needed Johnson again. Matt Pryor, Darian Kinnard and others struggled to secure the swing tackle role in training camp, leading Roseman to make a trade. The Eagles sent a 2026 seventh-round pick to Jacksonville to bring Johnson back to Philly.
At the time, it was easy to overlook the move. But swing tackle was a significant concern that had to be addressed.
“Obviously, they traded for me. They need me,” Johnson said in August. “I’m willing to do whatever for these guys. These are my brothers. ... I’m ready when y’all need me.”
And the Eagles need Fred Johnson now more than ever.
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