PHILADELPHIA (WIP Sportsradio) — Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson suffered a torn tendon in his abdomen but is putting off a needed surgery until after the playoffs.
That, among many other reasons, is why teammate Jason Kelce says there's no one quite like Johnson.
"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 Schwartz [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 premier player in the NFL.
"The consistency in which he does the 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 afterward. 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."
Related
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.
Johnson, 32, is putting off surgery for his torn adductor muscle until after the postseason. He plans to miss the final two regular-season 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.