Lane Johnson is expected to remain on the Eagles 53-man roster. Here’s why.
If the Eagles wait until after June 1 to place Johnson on the reserve/retired list, they would be able to spread his remaining cap hit over the next two seasons.

LONDON — Lane Johnson was not listed among the Eagles inactives on Sunday morning ahead of the team’s game vs. Jacksonville at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They are so banged up that even a retired player was technically on the active roster for gameday.
Johnson announced his retirement on Tuesday, two days after he was a late scratch from the Eagles’ Week 4 home game vs. the Los Angeles Rams. But Johnson is expected to remain on the team’s 53-man roster for the foreseeable future, possibly for the remainder of the 2026 season.
There would be salary cap ramifications to placing Johnson on the reserve/retired list now. If the Eagles wait until after June 1, they would be able to spread his remaining cap hit over the next two seasons.
According to Over the Cap, if the Eagles officially retire Johnson after June 1, he would count $16.6 million in dead money in 2027 and $26.276 million in 2028.
Keeping Johnson on the 53-man roster also allows for the unlikely scenario where Johnson decides to come out of retirement this season.
The Eagles will play their first game Sunday vs. the Jaguars with their 14-year right tackle no longer with the team. Markel Bell is expected to get the start, and the Eagles will have a new-look offensive line in front of Jalen Hurts as they navigate multiple injuries and the trade of Cam Jurgens.
Only two of their Week 1 starters on the offensive line — left tackle Jordan Mailata and right guard Tyler Steen — will be in uniform on Sunday.
In addition to the linemen, the Eagles also will be without Saquon Barkley (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (hamstring), Tank Bigsby (core muscle), Drew Kendall (knee), and Hollywood Brown as their offense deals with a list of absences.
























