Eagles Don't Have Obvious Heir After Losing Underrated Piece

Philadelphia's latest loss in free agency came Wednesday when veteran swing tackle Fred Johnson agreed to terms with Jacksonville.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Fred Johnson (74) against the Kansas City Chiefs during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA - Fred Johnson's move to Jacksonville in free agency is not one of those transactions that will cause much of a ripple.

Peel the onion back a bit and it might be more difficult for the Eagles to replace the veteran swing tackle than most realize.

Johnson agreed to join the Jaguars on a one-year deal Wednesday, according to an NFL source, after serving as Philadelphia's swing tackle over the past two seasons.

In the Eagles' 2024-25 Super Bowl LIX-winning season swing tackle was an important role with Johnson starting six games -- four at left tackle when Jordan Mailata missed time with a hamstring, one at RT when Lane Johnson was out with a concussion, and the Week 18 game against the New York Giants when head coach Nick Sirianni rested his starters.

By the end of the regular season, Johnson had played a substantial 481 snaps (42% of the team's offensive total), and handled them at a serviceable level with the high-water mark being an excellent performance against Cincinnati's star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.

The financial details aren't available yet on the deal Johnson signed with Jacksonville but the Eagles are in a cash-saving mode this offseason understanding big extensions are coming for center Cam Jurgens and perhaps safety Reed Blankenship before a projected massive one for second-team All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter after the 2025 campaign.

There is no obvious in-house heir apparent for Johnson’s role but there are options.

Third-year pro Darian Kinnard is a natural right tackle who played that position in college at Kentucky and took most of his training camp reps with the Eagles last year at RT. As a freshman with the Wildcats, Kinnard started a few games at LT before making the move to the other side.

Eagles OL Tyler Steen / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

Then there is Tyler Steen and trade pickup Kenyon Green, the No. 15 overall pick in 2022 by Houston who struggled early in his career at guard with the Texans. The presumption is that those two will battle for the right guard position to replace Mekhi Becton. 

Although the perception is that the Eagles want Steen to seize that position and that was certainly the case entering training camp last year, don't forget that Steen played his entire college career outside at OT, being a long-term RT at Vanderbilt before transferring for his final season to play LT at Alabama.

Meanwhile, during his final season at Texas A&M, Green showed tremendous versatility starting games at every position except center (two at RT, one at LT, two at right guard, and seven at left guard). That said, the vast majority of Green's work with the Aggies was inside at OG.

The outside-the-box thinking by Philadelphia here could be the desire for Jeff Stoutland to unlock Green's physical gifts at RG and using Steen as the swing tackle.

The last avenue that also shouldn't be dismissed is the draft and the Eagles could simply draft more help for the offensive line, be it a potential starter at RG with No. 32 overall or a swing-tackle candidate as a more cost-effective option under a rookie contract on Days 2 or 3.

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