Buzz Surrounds Jordan Mailata, but Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson Noteworthy, too

As the Eagles seek an identity, the OL already has one

PHILADELPHIA – Jordan Mailata has dominated a lot of the conversation with offensive linemen and coaches interviewed this week as the Eagles prepare to head south to Atlanta to meet the Falcons in the season opener.

Asked if the 6-8, 380-pound Mailata reminds him of anyone, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was blunt: “No, he's the biggest human being I've ever seen. He's a big man.”

Right tackle Lane Johnson called Mailata “a freak of nature.”

“There’s nobody in the NFL that’s been that big, that size that can move like that,” Johnson added. “(Jonathan) Ogden was there, not trying to compare him to (the 6-9, 345-pound) Ogden, but Ogden was never that big. I’ve never seen a guy that big. He’s massive.”

Mailata, whose rookie contract expires at the end of the season, will begin the season as the starting left tackle, and can parlay that into a massive contract with reliable play. Currently, he will play the season on a base salary of $850,000.

Jordan Mailata / Philadelphia Eagles

Three other aspects of the Eagles offensive line should not be overlooked by the buzz around Malata: Jason Kelce’s consecutive starts streak and Johnson’s ankle and Brandon Brooks' health.

Kelce will start his 106th straight game in Atlanta on Sunday. He hasn’t missed a start since 2014, two head coaches ago.

“I’ve been really fortunate to have a healthy, relatively, career to this point,” said Kelce. “So, hopefully, we can keep that going this year. I’d love to add 17 more to them, at least. Just one at a time.

“I feel good. I think we had a really good training camp. The coaches, players, strength and conditioning, and sports science really put together a plan to keep us healthy and do some things that have plagued us the last couple of years. We’re pretty healthy going into this first week. We feel really good about that.”

The streak is the longest in Eagles' history for a center since the 1970 merger. It is also the longest for an NFL center since Chris Myers started 123 games from 2007-14.

Brooks was limited with a knee injury all week, but head coach Nick Sirianni said he will play on Sunday. It will be the right guard's first game since the 2019 regular-season finale.

Johnson also feels good heading into the season.

How vital is that?

The Eagles are 58-40-1 with him in the lineup and just 11-18 without him.

Johnson was unable to finish last season after a second ankle surgery within a span of just a couple of months. He tried to play through the pain and swelling before being shut down, but often times was unable to make it through an entire game.

“This year is totally different,” he said. “Ankle that’s fixed versus one that’s hanging on by a thread. It’ll be a lot easier to play for me this year.

“(That’s) huge. Something you don’t have to think about anymore. Getting through that the past few years I feel has made me mentally stronger. Playing this position, there are lots of guys that have been banged up at the O-line position. Guys playing through broken fingers, hands, torn ACLs, so it is what it is. Glad to be out there, though.”

So, the Eagles’ offensive line has an identity now.

What about the other parts?

Even the players themselves are curious to find that out, and it begins Sunday.

“I feel our talent level is up there,” said Johnson. “I feel like we’ve done some good things on the practice field, but you don’t really know what you have the first couple of games. Even during the Super Bowl year, we didn’t really know what kind of team we would be until really the Chargers game (in Week 4 of 2017).

“So, it’s going to take a few games to kind of see what your identity is and kind of form that. It’s not going to be a one-game deal. It’s going to be a several-game thing.”

NOTE: Safety Rodney McLeod and OL Landon Dickerson have been ruled out for Sunday's game.

MORE: Eagles-Falcons Preview: 5 Things to Know

MORE: Behind Enemy Lines with the Falcons - Sports Illustrated

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.