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PHILADELPHIA − Lane Johnson couldn't stand the word. It ate at him early in the 2025 season. And it left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Eagles' right tackle when his season ended last Nov. 16 due to a Lisfranc injury.
That's why Johnson said he had already made up his mind to return for the 2026 season despite having so many reasons to hang up his cleats.
But first, let's start with the word "predictable," something Johnson uttered multiple times, unprompted, following the Eagles' 34-17 loss to the Giants last Oct. 9. It's also why Johnson is No. 5 in our countdown of the Eagles' eight most intriguing players heading into the start of training camp on July 28.
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"I don’t know if we’re predictable, but it seems a lot harder than what it needs to be," Johnson said after that Thursday night debacle. "Maybe moving forward have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some and doing a little bit more of that."
Johnson stopped talking to the media after that game. But the problem didn't go away. The Eagles' offense ranked 24th in the NFL in yards per game and 19th in scoring in 2025.
Still, the Eagles were 8-2 after that 16-9 win over the Lions. That came one week after they beat the Packers in Green Bay 10-7. That Packers game began a stretch where the Eagles scored 21 points or less in 8 of their final 10 games, including their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After the season, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland decided not to return. Johnson called Stoutland's departure "a shocking ordeal." After all, Stoutland was the only offensive line coach that Johnson had during his 13 seasons with the Eagles.
And, oh yeah, Johnson's foot injury prevented him from returning for the playoff game against the 49ers.
Johnson could have easily called it a career, walked into the sunset knowing that he would be in the Hall of Fame soon enough. But Johnson said he never considered that. Not after the way last season went.
"I was just mad," Johnson said. "I thought I was having a really good season last year. Man, there was nobody more disappointed than me not being able to come in and play, to finish it out. I didn’t want to go out that way."
MOST INTRIGUING TRACKER: Tracking Eagles 8 most intriguing players for boom or bust 2026 season
PHILLIES TRADE PLAN: Do Phillies need new trade plan with season-ending injury to reliever?
Still, it's going to be dramatically different for Johnson. There's a new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion, who's installing an offense based on the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay model. And there's a new offensive line coach in Chris Kuper, hired by Mannion to install a new system and implement new blocking schemes.
Talking about teaching an old dog new tricks.
"I’ve watched this system ... from afar, and I’ve always envied wanting to be a part of it," Johnson said. "So here I am, after all these years, getting that chance. Not to say we’re going to be better, but there’s a lot to learn. I think we have the ability to be a lot more than what we were last year."
The new system will require the Eagles' offensive linemen to use their athleticism in running more outside zone instead of just overpowering defensive linemen and linebackers down the field.
That system with Stoutland also doubling as the run game coordinator worked well enough for the Eagles in their Super Bowl runs in 2022 and 2024. And really, during most of Nick Sirianni's tenure as head coach beginning in 2021.
Johnson, of course, has been one of the linchpins. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, and is one of only two Eagles on the team to have two Super Bowl rings. His importance is amplified by the Eagles' record when Johnson plays (94-41-1, .695 winning percentage) as opposed to when he doesn't (15-28, .349), including a 3-5 record last season.
Now that Johnson is fully healed, he said he has a lot more to give.
"A lot of guys trend down in their 30s," he said. "I feel like my career has been the opposite. My career started blossoming in my 30s. So last year, me being out of the game was kind of like, ‘Hey, if you don’t stay healthy, it’s going to be a glimpse of what it could become.’
"Like I said, I wanted to come back and finish on a strong note, and really say I really got everything out of myself."
If Johnson does that, the Eagles' offense in 2026 will be anything but predictable.
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles No. 5 most intriguing puts off retirement because of this word
Continue reading...
That's why Johnson said he had already made up his mind to return for the 2026 season despite having so many reasons to hang up his cleats.
But first, let's start with the word "predictable," something Johnson uttered multiple times, unprompted, following the Eagles' 34-17 loss to the Giants last Oct. 9. It's also why Johnson is No. 5 in our countdown of the Eagles' eight most intriguing players heading into the start of training camp on July 28.
Buy Philadelphia Eagles tickets
"I don’t know if we’re predictable, but it seems a lot harder than what it needs to be," Johnson said after that Thursday night debacle. "Maybe moving forward have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some and doing a little bit more of that."
Johnson stopped talking to the media after that game. But the problem didn't go away. The Eagles' offense ranked 24th in the NFL in yards per game and 19th in scoring in 2025.
Still, the Eagles were 8-2 after that 16-9 win over the Lions. That came one week after they beat the Packers in Green Bay 10-7. That Packers game began a stretch where the Eagles scored 21 points or less in 8 of their final 10 games, including their playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
After the season, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was fired and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland decided not to return. Johnson called Stoutland's departure "a shocking ordeal." After all, Stoutland was the only offensive line coach that Johnson had during his 13 seasons with the Eagles.
And, oh yeah, Johnson's foot injury prevented him from returning for the playoff game against the 49ers.
Johnson could have easily called it a career, walked into the sunset knowing that he would be in the Hall of Fame soon enough. But Johnson said he never considered that. Not after the way last season went.
"I was just mad," Johnson said. "I thought I was having a really good season last year. Man, there was nobody more disappointed than me not being able to come in and play, to finish it out. I didn’t want to go out that way."
MOST INTRIGUING TRACKER: Tracking Eagles 8 most intriguing players for boom or bust 2026 season
PHILLIES TRADE PLAN: Do Phillies need new trade plan with season-ending injury to reliever?
Still, it's going to be dramatically different for Johnson. There's a new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion, who's installing an offense based on the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay model. And there's a new offensive line coach in Chris Kuper, hired by Mannion to install a new system and implement new blocking schemes.
Talking about teaching an old dog new tricks.
"I’ve watched this system ... from afar, and I’ve always envied wanting to be a part of it," Johnson said. "So here I am, after all these years, getting that chance. Not to say we’re going to be better, but there’s a lot to learn. I think we have the ability to be a lot more than what we were last year."
The new system will require the Eagles' offensive linemen to use their athleticism in running more outside zone instead of just overpowering defensive linemen and linebackers down the field.
That system with Stoutland also doubling as the run game coordinator worked well enough for the Eagles in their Super Bowl runs in 2022 and 2024. And really, during most of Nick Sirianni's tenure as head coach beginning in 2021.
Johnson, of course, has been one of the linchpins. He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times, and is one of only two Eagles on the team to have two Super Bowl rings. His importance is amplified by the Eagles' record when Johnson plays (94-41-1, .695 winning percentage) as opposed to when he doesn't (15-28, .349), including a 3-5 record last season.
Now that Johnson is fully healed, he said he has a lot more to give.
"A lot of guys trend down in their 30s," he said. "I feel like my career has been the opposite. My career started blossoming in my 30s. So last year, me being out of the game was kind of like, ‘Hey, if you don’t stay healthy, it’s going to be a glimpse of what it could become.’
"Like I said, I wanted to come back and finish on a strong note, and really say I really got everything out of myself."
If Johnson does that, the Eagles' offense in 2026 will be anything but predictable.
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the "Eye On The Eagles" newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles No. 5 most intriguing puts off retirement because of this word
Continue reading...
