Getty Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson is out for Week 4 due to a personal matter.
Lane Johnson is opinionated. Especially when it comes to preseason rankings of the best offensive tackles in football. The All-Pro right tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles should always be at the top of that list.
But Johnson was ranked way lower than what seemed warranted in a recent ESPN survey that polled the NFL’s top executives, players, and coaches. He landed at No. 7, sandwiched in between Laremy Tunsil (Houston Texans) at No. 6 and Ronnie Staley (Baltimore Ravens) at No. 8. Trent Williams (San Francisco 49ers) held down the top spot.
Yes, Johnson was still ranked in the Top-10. No, Johnson wasn’t happy about it.
He fired off a hilarious Twitter response which included laughing and yawning emojis. Philadelphia fans quickly rushed to Johnson’s defense in the comments section, too. There were plenty of underdog masks, with a few people calling Johnson the best right tackle in the game. No one seems to be paying the Eagles enough respect.
Here is what was said about Johnson in the survey, via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:
“What’s funny is he’s probably not the [great] athlete he used to be, yet he’s still more athletic than more than half the starters, which shows just how athletic he was in his prime,” an NFL personnel director said. “That’s impressive, that he’s lost a step but [is] still a high-level guy.”
Interesting. Johnson turned 32 years old on May 8 as he gets set to enter his 10th NFL season. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2017. His 2020 season was cut short due to a nagging ankle injury that required surgery, then he missed time last season due to a highly publicized bout with depression. Johnson has played in 20 total games over the past two years.
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Johnson Hoping to Change NFC Least Back to NFC East
Johnson is also trying to change opinions on the state of the NFC East these days. It is largely considered the worst division in football despite what used to feel like a bunch of heavyweight teams. Time to fix that.
“It looks good on paper. I feel like we’re better than we were last year, hopefully we can change the NFC Least back into the NFC East,” Johnson told NFL Network. “I feel like the last few years we haven’t started the way that we wanted to, really like the first five or six games, so if we can get off to a good start and keep that momentum going, I think we’ll be a good team this year.”
Gardner Minshew Named Top Backup
USA Today’s For the Win compiled a list of the best backup quarterbacks in football, ranking them in tiers from “reasonable starting options” to “the clipboard kings.”
Gardner Minshew anchored Tier 1, along with Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, and Taylor Heinicke. Minshew, of course, has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason.
The list included an epic reference to Nick Foles as a “rare specimen among backups.” Here is what Christian D’Andrea wrote about Minshew:
“Minshew was a stronger passing presence than Jalen Hurts last season, albeit against a weak slate of competition. Heinicke may have hit his ceiling in the NFL, but he’s capable of solid efficiency in spurts and went 7-8 as a starter last season for an otherwise forgettable Washington team.”
True or False: Gardner Minshew is good enough to be a starting QB 💪
