'Big Fred' Delivers For The Eagles

On paper, Trey Hendrickson vs. Fred Johnson looked like a mismatch and it was. ...For the Eagles.

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The numbers are in for Eagles' fill-in left tackle Fred Johnson.

The big man allowed just one pressure on 22 pass-blocking snaps during the Eagles' 37-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, according to Next Gen Stats and Pro Football Focus.

Three-time Pro Bowl selection Trey Hendrickson had the pressure during his 13 opportunities working against Johnson, who played in Cincy from 2019-2021 and swapped jerseys with the Bengals' star pass rusher after stymieing him.

"Great football player for sure," the 6-foot-7, 326-pound Johnson said of Hendrickson. "Fierce competitor even in practice when I was there. ... He's a great football player for sure."

Fred Johnson neutralizes Trey Hendrickson. Clean pocket. Picture perfect throw 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/BMmJkS2bHU

— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) October 28, 2024

Johnson has been forced into action this season at both right and left tackle due to injuries to Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. He's more comfortable on the left side and that's shown.

"Fred steps in again and has a good game," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after the game. "... Obviously we'll look at the tape. ... Sometimes it's really hard to see how an offensive lineman plays live. So we'll watch that tape on our way back [to Philadelphia]."

That watch was surely a pleasant surprise for the Eagles' offensive staff because Hendrickson was at the forefront of the team's game-planning.

"When you have a player of that caliber, because that guy's a stud, and when you have a player of that caliber you put a lot of emphasis [on him]," Sirianni said of Hendrickson. "You think about him a lot. You think about him an awful lot. And the offensive staff did a great job of making the game plan around him. And Fred did a great job when he was left in solo situations with him. So that always takes both. Coaches put [players] in the right positions, and the players going out and being able to execute.

"We knew that with 91 it wasn't going to just be a one man job. Fred was going to have to do it a lot of the times, for the majority of the times, and then other guys were going to help as well."

Earlier this month, Johnson spoke about his time in Cincinnati where he was a fledgling player trying to catch on.

"Don’t do what I did in Cincy to give sacks and stuff," Johnson smiled. "... Just try to execute better, more technique-wise, try to be very sound and very calm and poised."

Lol Fred Johnson holy shit pic.twitter.com/77LRYt1n4W

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 21, 2024

On Sunday, Johnson took his own advice against one of the NFL's best and didn't allow "sacks and stuff."

Mailata was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on Oct. 18, days before the Week 7 win over the New York Giants. Sunday's win at Cincy means the Eagles are 2-0 with Johnson starting at LT.

Johnson will need to fill in for at least two more games - vs. Jacksonville on Sunday and Nov. 10 at Dallas -- before Mailata is eligible to return.

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