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For Eagles, a line in decline

Sometimes you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. That is about to happen starting with the 2015 Eagles offensive line.

Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone. That is about to happen starting with the 2015 Eagles offensive line.

Quarterbacks garner attention. They get too much credit and receive too much blame. Football fans' eyes also go to the perimeter, outside of the hash marks, tracking the stats of their fantasy wide receivers and fantasy running backs. Nobody ever talks about or pays attention to the offensive linemen.

In Philadelphia, both the fans and media have taken the Eagles offensive line for granted. I'm guilty as charged. Availability, reliability and dependability are adjectives that describe the Birds in the trenches for the better part of this century. From Jon Runyan and Tre Thomas, to Jason Peters and Todd Herremans, to Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis, the Eagles have had a great combination of top pass protectors and run blockers during both the Andy Reid and Chip Kelly regimes.

It's time to realize that this luxury we've been afforded over the past decade has already started to erode. You should realize that 2014 was the swan-song season for the Eagles offensive line, 2015 will be something entirely different, and the changes will keep coming.

After the latest scuffle between guard Mathis and the Eagles' brass, they released him Thursday, and it began to become clear that this season could end a run of excellence.

Mathis, 33, was scheduled to make $5.5 million this season and $6 million in 2016. With Allen Barbre in the fold, the Eagles are moving on without Mathis, who played just nine games last season.

Peters, the stellar left tackle, will be 34 when this season ends. The seven-time Pro Bowler is under contract through the 2018 season, but raise your hand if you think he will actually see the money he's owed beyond this year. I would anticipate the Eagles asking him to restructure his deal after this season. It wouldn't be an Eagles-type move to pay a man that much money over the next few seasons. In fact, not many NFL franchises are shelling out that kind of money ($9.95 million and $10 million) for a 35- or 36-year-old tackle.

Herremans spent 10 superb seasons in Philadelphia, provided tremendous versatility, and was shown the door in the off-season. He is now protecting one of the game's most touted quarterbacks, Indianapolis' Andrew Luck. The "Toddfather" was a staple for two eras of Eagles football, but the organization made the proper decision to move on. Herremans' exit was the first sign that this thing was coming undone.

Kelce is without question one of the best centers in the NFL, and third-year right tackle Lane Johnson is a quality piece for the future. That being said, it's time to come to grips with and accept that this could be it for this top-five line. You can have two solid pieces, but replacing three top performers over two off-seasons and not missing a beat is a pipe dream.

Expect the Eagles to start restocking the cupboard and replenishing the offensive line in the next few NFL drafts. Translation: "boring" first-round draft selections. Lackluster? Yes. Necessary? Definitely.

If Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones can get it right, by wisely selecting upper-echelon guys in the trenches, so can and so will the Eagles. The Dallas Cowboys have drafted Tyron Smith, Zach Martin and Travis Frederick over the last few years, and it has paid dividends as they have established themselves to be the game's premiere line.

Kelly might run an up-tempo offense, believe that he can succeed with a plug-and-play quarterback and discard key playmakers such as LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson, but he is well aware of the need that looms for his Eagles, finding the next core up front.

The Eagles have tinkered and retooled in years past, but a mass exodus is a logical conclusion to draw here, and it's one that will be felt immediately.

Maybe LeSean McCoy's drop in production last year wasn't completely his fault. Maybe the 300-yard falloff had to do with offensive-line depreciation. One thing is for sure: The Eagles' offensive-line dominance is a thing of the past.