Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson was not back at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday as the team prepared for their game this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
"He is not here today, still dealing with a personal matter," head coach Nick Sirianni said. "Really to go any more into that…I am still going to respect his privacy. But he is not here today."
Sirianni would not say if Johnson would play on Sunday.
"Again, he is not here today," Sirianni said. "That is as far as I am going to go this week. We are going to respect his privacy."
Johnson missed the team's game this past Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Sirianni said after the loss that he found out just a few hours before the game that Johnson wouldn't be playing.
With Johnson out the Eagles started Jack Driscoll at right tackle and moved Landon Dickerson to left guard. It is likely that is Johnson doesn't play on Sunday that they will roll with the same starting five offensive linemen as last week, although it is possible Jordan Mailata does play.
Assuming Mailata doesn't play, the line should look like this:
RT: Jack Driscoll
RG: Nate Herbig
C: Jason Kelce
LG: Landon Dickerson
LT: Andre Dillard.
If Mailata does play, the Eagles could put him at RT, and keep Dillard at LT, or just move Dillard back to the bench and keep Driscoll on the field.
Looking beyond Sunday, however, the question now becomes when Johnson will return and when he will be back on the field for the Eagles.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
