NFL fans have long believed the Eagles’ offensive line is elite year in and year out. However, recently, the Eagles’ offensive line has underperformed, and it needs to be acknowledged.
It is time to explore how that mythos surrounding the offensive line was created, when the group deviated from it, and what caused the shift.
Origin of the Legend
The larger-than-life perspective on the trenches for the Eagles began in the mid-2010s. Specifically, it coincides with the 2013 drafting of Lane Johnson and the hiring of offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland.
In 2012, the Eagles mustered just four wins behind an average line. Previous additions like Jason Kelce, Jason Peters, and Evan Mathis struggled with injuries and inconsistency. Whether it was hiring Stoutland, drafting Johnson with the 4th overall pick, or just everyone being available, the Eagles’ offensive line couldn’t be stopped from that point on.
In 2013, the Eagles led the league in rushing yards (2,566) but ranked seventh in sack rate at 8.3%. At 32, Mathis made his first Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
This foreshadowed their identity: elite run blocking and average, occasionally great, pass protection. Pass protection had elite years, but run blocking was always their strength, regardless of who lined up in the backfield. This dominance lasted from 2013-2024, peaking in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2021, and 2024.
It wasn’t without rough patches, most notably 2018 and 2019.
Seasonal Slumps
Jersey numbers came and went, coaches too (except Stoutland), and the signal callers changed, yet the line maintained the gold standard. Except in 2018, when they might have gained too much water weight after champagne celebrations during the Super Bowl parade the year prior.
In reality, injuries to Lane Johnson, a decline for Jason Peters, and instability hurt the line.
Between 2018 and 2019, they never finished above 20th in time to throw. Their best sack rate was 6.3% in 2018. They were 6th in stuffed run percentage at 20.4% in 2019 and finished 30th in rushing yards before contact per carry in 2018 with 1.29 per attempt.
In those two years, the team couldn’t maintain anything above a middling pass protection, and the stuffed run percentage and rushing yards before contact make it evident they couldn’t even expect that from the run blocking.
Despite struggles, the talent remained. Johnson aged like wine, Kelce still performed, and Jordan Mailata waited in the wings.
An Urgent Resurgence
In 2020, not much was going right for the Eagles, but the offensive line found its form again.
They led the league in sack rate at 9.8% and ranked 3rd in quarterback pressure percentage at 41.9%. However, they were 4th in rushing yards before contact per carry at 2.08 and 23rd in stuffed run percentage at 14.4%.
Run blocking led the way, allowing a struggling pass protection to be dragged along for the ride. They were the top run-blocking team and among the best in pass protection. Their ability to maintain run lanes and keep the running back untouched shows in the elite stuffed-run percentage and rushing yards before contact.
The resurgence had begun, but is it fair to expect that from the current rut the Eagles line has found itself in? Or is that an unrealistic expectation based on the position group’s past prowess?
What to Make of Last Year
In 2025, the Eagles ranked 17th in sack rate at 6.6%, were blitzed second most at 35.5%, and were 22nd in pressure percentage at 32.7%.
Pass protection was good, but run blocking declined significantly.
It was the first time since 2012 that the line had no Pro Bowlers or All-Pros, and the first since 2021 without at least two All-Pros. They finished third in stuffed run percentage and 13th in rushing yards before contact per carry. For the first time since 2018, they finished above 16th in stuffed run percentage and below 11th in rushing yards before contact.
This paints the eroding quality of the run blocking as on par with the aforementioned poor two-year stretch experienced in 2018 and 2019. Run blocking can no longer carry poor pass protection; both now drag down the entire offense.
Where Is the Offensive Line Now?
We hear ad nauseam about the Eagles’ constant offensive coordinator changes, but for the first time in 13 years, the team has a new offensive line coach.
In addition, three-time Pro Bowler Dickerson is now on IR, which moves Cam Jurgens to left guard. Four games into the season, Jurgens has accumulated more holding calls than in any other year he’s played.
This poor run blocking didn’t come out of nowhere, and it still hasn’t been fixed.
They are currently fifth in stuffed run percentage, 14th in rushing yards before contact, and face the eighth-lightest box.
Even without a numbers advantage, opposing defenses are frequently getting their hands on the Eagles’ running backs in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage.
Now, with Lane Johnson suddenly retiring, the future looks bleaker with every game that passes.
This year, the Eagles are third in pressure percentage (43.2%) and fourth in sack rate at 9.4%. Teams are starting to realize the Eagles lack adequate blitz pickups, and the line is an identified weakness. As a result, they face the fifth-most blitzes in the league (39.4%).
Their rushing success rate only ranks 17th (40.8%).
Despite talent and big contracts, they’re in a blocking drought. Can they bounce back like in 2020?
Look Under the Hood
To figure that out, we need a deeper look at the position group’s nourishment. What resources have been invested in this line?
The Eagles haven’t invested as much in the line as they once did—via the draft, free agency, or trades. That’s why another big turnaround is an uphill battle.
The entire current offensive line is homegrown, but draft investment has actually dropped. From 1994 (seven-round format) to the start of the group’s prime in 2013, the Eagles spent five (29.4%) of their first-round picks on the position group. Since 2013, only two (14.3%) first-round picks went to the line.
There’s now a seven-year gap since the last first-round blocker in 2019 (Andre Dillard). That is the longest gap in franchise history, tied with 2004 to 2011. To find a longer gap, you’d have to look before Top Gun came out in theatres, back to 1975-1985.
Late-round picks, 4th to 7th round, have also dropped: 11 players (16.6%) since 2013, compared to 22 (20.5%) from 1994-2013.
They haven’t made up for this in free agency or trades.
Jason Peters was a two-time All-Pro before the team gave up a first-round pick on him in 2009. Jon Runyan was an All-Pro before the Eagles made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history in 2000. They traded up in the draft for Todd Herremans (2005) and Shawn Andrews (2004).
Since 2013, Brandon Brooks is their only major addition outside the draft—and that was a decade ago.
Can They Take the Pressure Off?
Barring major corrective measures, there’s no way out of this rut without friction and years wasted during a contending window. It seems the Eagles believe they can strike gold or apply enough pressure to form diamonds even with decreasing resources.
Less urgency, fewer draft picks, less proven coaches, less proven stars, but an expected similar output. Perhaps they’ve grown a hubris so large it makes it impossible to see the Offensive Line on Sundays. They’ve taken the line’s dominance for granted and let its reputation obscure their current situation.
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