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Eagles news: Birds to hold first practice since Lane Johnson's sudden retirement; offensive line plan; injury updates

Reaction is still pouring in after future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson made the surprise decision to retire Tuesday.

Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson made the sudden decision to retire Tuesday after missing Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles Rams
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson made the sudden decision to retire Tuesday after missing Sunday's loss to the Los Angeles RamsRead more
Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer
What you should know

  1. Lane Johnson announced his immediate retirement from the Eagles Tuesday, four games into his 14th season. Jeff McLane explores why.

  2. Tributes are rolling in for Johnson, including a touching message from his former coach, Jeff Stoutland. Columnist Mike Sielski said he's the greatest Eagles player of this generation.

  3. Meanwhile, the Eagles are scheduled to travel to London Friday overnight for Sunday's Week 5 game against the Jaguars.

  4. Head coach Nick Sirianni will speak to reporters Wednesday afternoon.

  5. Follow all the Inquirer's Eagles coverage here.

Eagles to hold first practice Wednesday without Lane Johnson

The Eagles will hit the practice field Wednesday for the first time since Lane Johnson announced his sudden retirement.

The Birds are scheduled to take the field for warmups at 3:25 p.m. at the Jefferson Health Training Complex. Among other things, it'll be the first opportunity to get a tally on the lengthy list of injuries the Eagles are coping with, including offensive lineman Cam Jurgens entering the concussion protocol.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is scheduled to speak to reporters before practice begins around 12:15 p.m.

— Rob Tornoe

Eagles injuries: Updates on Saquon Barkley, Cam Jurgens

The Eagles injury list got longer during their loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday.

Here's what we know Wednesday morning:

  1. Saquon Barkley, running back: Barkley is unlikely to play because of the hamstring injury he suffered against the Rams, according to the Inquirer's Jeff McLane. It's a week-to-week injury, so Barkley will avoid going on the injured reserve list.

  2. Cam Jurgens, offensive lineman: Jurgens is in the concussion protocol after self-reporting symptoms Monday. It's unclear if he'll be cleared in time to play Sunday.

  3. Tank Bigsby, running back:  Bigsby has a core muscle injury that will require surgery. He'll head to injured reserve with the hope he'll be back later in the season.

  4. DeVonta Smith, wide receiver: Smith didn't play against the Rams after he was unable to practice that week because of a hamstring injury. His status for Sunday's game remains unclear, but Jeff McLane reported Smith was expected to miss multiple games.

  5. Dallas Goedert, tight end: Goedert has missed two games since suffering a sprained MCL in his right knee against the Tennessee Titans. His status for Sunday's game remains unclear.

  6. Zack Baun, linebacker: Baun missed Sunday's game (his first time missing a regular-season game) because he was in the concussion protocol. It's unclear when he'll be allowed back to play.

» READ MORE: What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 5 vs. the Jaguars

— Rob Tornoe

Jordan Mailata still 'shocked' by Lane Johnson decision, has advice for Markel Bell

Speaking on 94.1 WIP Tuesday afternoon, Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata was still "shocked" by the surprise retirement of his teammate, Lane Johnson.

"Yeah, still a hard one to swallow to be honest," Mailata told WIP afternoon hosts Spike Eskin and Ike Reese. "I'm still processing my emotions... I just think about how much I'm going to miss him moving forward."

While Mailata declined to speak much about Johnson's decision to leave the team, he did have some advice for his apparent replacement, rookie Markel Bell, who the Eagles drafted this year in the third round out of Miami.

How the Eagles offensive line looks without Lane Johnson

The Eagles lost against the Los Angeles Rams for many reasons, but their record without Lane Johnson since he was drafted fell to 18-30 (.375). Their overall success since 2013 can be attributed to many, but a record of 122-63-1 (.659) when he’s in the lineup can’t be overstated.

Rookie Markel Bell has potential, but he wasn’t drafted until the third round for a reason. The hope was that the 6-foot-9, 346-pound tackle would get a year to develop under Johnson. But the Eagles did too much wishing and hoping when it came to their offensive line.

They’ve known for years that Johnson could retire at any moment. They knew Landon Dickerson thought about retirement himself this offseason after years of injury and is now on injured reserve. They knew that center Cam Jurgens, after returning too soon from back surgery last season, had lost confidence.

Why Lane Johnson suddenly retired

Lane Johnson had thought about retiring along with Jeff Stoutland.

The plan was that they’d “go out together,” something they had “talked about before last season,” a source familiar with Johnson’s thinking told The Inquirer.

The Hall of Fame-bound right tackle was initially devastated when Stoutland walked away from the Eagles in February, a move that was precipitated by the organization’s decision to change its offense and strip the longtime offensive line coach of his run game coordinator role.

Eagles record without Lane Johnson

The Eagles record without offensive tackle Lane Johnson in the lineup since he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2013 is 18-30 (.375). With Johnson on the field, the Birds record during that same time was 122-63-1 (.659).

As former Daily News editor Bob Vetrone Jr. pointed out, the last time the Eagles won a playoff game without Johnson was Jan. 11, 2009, when the Phillies were defending World Series champs.

Johnson retires having not allowed a quick pressure (under 2.5 seconds) since Week 10 of 2024, according to Next Gen Stats. His streak of 558 pass blocks without allowing quick pressure is 210 longer than any active player in the NFL.

— Rob Tornoe

Eagles 2026 schedule

  1. Week 1: Eagles 24, Commanders 22

  2. Week 2: Eagles 24, Titans 20

  3. Week 3: Bears 27, Eagles 7

  4. Week 4: Rams 24, Eagles 20

  5. Week 5: Eagles at Jaguars (London) — Sunday, Oct. 11, 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)

  6. Week 6: Panthers at Eagles — Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m. (CBS)

  7. Week 7: Cowboys at Eagles — Monday, Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

  8. Week 8: Eagles at Commanders — Sunday, Nov. 1, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

  9. Week 9: Giants at Eagles — Sunday, Nov. 8, 1 p.m. (Fox)

  10. Week 10: Bye week

  11. Week 11: Steelers at Eagles — Sunday, Nov. 22, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)

  12. Week 12: Eagles at Cowboys — Thursday, Nov. 26, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)

  13. Week 13: Eagles at Cardinals — Sunday, Dec. 6, 4:05 p.m. (Fox)

  14. Week 14: Colts at Eagles — Sunday, Dec. 13, 1 p.m. (Fox)

  15. Week 15: Seahawks at Eagles — Saturday, Dec. 19, 5 p.m. (Fox)

  16. Week 16: Texans at Eagles — Thursday, Dec. 24, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)

  17. Week 17: Eagles at 49ers — Sunday, Jan. 3, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

  18. Week 18: Eagles at Giants — TBD (TBD)

— Rob Tornoe