June 13, 2023
Kate Frese/For PhillyVoice
Jordan Mailata and Jason Kelce walking off the field after the Eagles beat the Vikings at the Linc on September 19, 2022.
The Eagles' league-best offensive line didn't go anywhere, which is one of the biggest reasons why they're projected to be just as strong of a team – if not stronger in some cases – in 2023 as they were on the way to the Super Bowl last season.
They lost a starter in Isaac Seumalo, sure, but Jason Kelce came back, Lane Johnson feels like he still has a few good years left in him, Jordan Mailata has been a growing menace on the left side, and Cam Jurgens is ready to start using his athleticism to fill the hole left open at right guard.
Jeff Stoutland's group didn't get any easier for opposing defenses to deal with over the offseason, and for that reason, they continue to hold the No. 1 spot in Pro Football Focus' offensive line rankings.
Wrote the site's Sam Monson of the unit overall:
- The Eagles remain the best offensive line in the game on paper. They lost a starter in the offseason, but 2022 draft pick Cam Jurgens is ready to step in to fill that void.
- The biggest flaw with this line in 2022 was penalties. With 44 as a unit, the Eagles were tied for the most penalized line in the NFL. [PFF]
And then its best player:
- Lane Johnson is the standard by which all right tackles are measured, particularly as Tristan Wirfs is moving to the left side in Tampa Bay. The last time he allowed a sack was the 2020 season. [PFF]
The Eagles' O-line, after enabling the NFL's best rushing attack in 2021, held PFF's top spot last summer going into the 2022 season and kept it throughout.
The organization's philosophy of building through the trenches first and foremost has regularly kept the team competitive over the course of the last 20 years, and right now, it has the Eagles among the league's gold standard with little sign of slowing down – definitely not on the defense with all those incoming Georgia Bulldogs.
The rival Cowboys also cracked the top 10 this time around, with their offensive line ranking in at No. 6.
However, that's with the caveat of if they can stay healthy. Last season, they could not.
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