Things continue to be weird with the Eagles.
In the aftermath of long-time offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland leaving the Eagles earlier this week, ESPN's Dan Graziano says that two-fifths of the offensive line is considering retirement:
"There are also rumblings about the possibility that 35-year-old right tackle Lane Johnson and 27-year-old left guard Landon Dickerson are both considering retirement this offseason. Dickerson played through a ton of injuries this past season, and there's some chatter that he might have had enough of putting his body through what it takes to get ready to play week in and week out. A lot of players go through these kinds of decisions every offseason, and it's possible Dickerson and/or Johnson are back in 2026."
Both Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported something similar earlier this week.
It doesn't appear that either is considering retirement in direct response to Stoutland departing, though both have spent their entire NFL careers with one offensive line coach, so him leaving probably doesn't help the Eagles' case to lure either back.
Johnson considering retirement isn't particularly shocking. A Lisfranc injury sidelined Johnson for the final seven games of the regular season, along with the season-ending 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card Round. The six-time Pro Bowler will turn 36 before next season, so he's at the stage where it at least makes sense to consider walking away.
Dickerson is more surprising in the sense that the three-time Pro Bowler is only 27 years old. But in addition to the injuries that Graziano referred to this past season, Dickerson had a pretty lengthy injury history during his collegiate career at Alabama, which is why he fell to the second round in the 2021 NFL Draft. Consistent injuries can kill your will to keep going, especially in a sport where you almost certainly are going to get hurt again if you keep playing.
One or both of Johnson and Dickerson walking away would be a massive development, especially with center Cam Jurgens coming off of a down year and Stoutland no longer in place to develop their potential successors.
