Jason Kelce was asked about the loss of All-Pro Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson on Thursday and explained how important Johnson is to the team.
"He's been the best pass blocking right tackle for some time now," Kelce said of Johnson on Thursday's 94WIP Morning Show. "There's really not anybody through the past decade that's even in his stratosphere other than maybe Mitchell Scwhartz [of the Kansas City Chiefs]. I don't think people realize how much we leave our tackles on an island and how hard of a job they have week in, week out. Even against the two monsters that they went up against last week in DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. Lane Johnson is probably, if not the most respected tackle in the NFL, certainly one of them by the players that he goes against. I've seen him go up against Von Miller, Khalil Mack, all of these big name guys and nothing. I mean maybe a sack or two, but that's understandable against a premiere player in the NFL. The consistency in which he does he job and ease at which he does it, by himself, is unmatched and that allows the offense to operate freely. You don't have to worry about chipping, you don't have to worry about lining up somebody to kind of slow down the start of the rush. All of these things impact the rest of the offense. And then you tack on the fact that he's a veteran player, he's been around, he's been in certain situations so he's knowledgeable. He's a leader so other guys gravitate toward him before the game, during the game, and afterwards. This is a big loss. It hurt us a lot as a team before. I think we have good depth right now, but nobody is going to be Lane Johnson. I think it's appropriately being made a big deal in the media and by everybody else."
That was some testimonial from Kelce, who has played alongside Johnson for the better part of 10 seasons now. Kelce is a four-time first-team All-Pro center and six-time Pro Bowler, while Johnson is a one-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler.
Kelce and Johnson have obviously become good friends and recently, along with fellow offensive lineman Jordan Mailata, they released a Christmas album for charity.
Johnson, 32, is putting off surgery for his torn adductor muscle until after the postseason. He plans to miss the final two regular seasons games and then return for the playoffs and play through the pain.
Johnson has a gone a record 928 consecutive snaps without allowing a sack.
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