I was getting ready to publish my recap of that horrible loss to the Rams when Lane Johnson’s retirement announcement hit my inbox. Suddenly, I decided to pivot. Scathing analysis of the Eagles third down offense can wait. Today, I want to appreciate a player who helped make the best years of my Eagles fandom possible.
Lane announced Tuesday that he was retiring, bringing his Philadelphia career to an unexpectedly abrupt end. This was probably his final season regardless, but leaving after Week 4 is not what I (or really anyone expected.)
For my entire adult life, Lane Johnson has been the Eagles’ right tackle. I was a teenager when they drafted him. No. 65 was there from Chip Kelly to Nick Sirianni. Different quarterbacks, different offenses, wildly different levels of competence. Through all of it, Lane remained one of the few players I never had to worry about.
The greatest right tackle I have ever watched
Lane finished with 171 regular-season starts, another 15 playoff starts, six Pro Bowl selections, five Associated Press All-Pro selections, three NFC championships, and two Super Bowl rings, an extraordinary résumé for the fourth overall pick in 2013.
But the thing I will remember most is how frequently and easily he made elite pass rushers look ordinary. There were Sundays when an opponent’s best defensive player was practically absent from the broadcast because Lane had spent the afternoon quietly dominating.
PFF charged him with just 33 sacks across 6,886 career pass-blocking snaps. His 2019 overall grade was 88.8, and in 2022, he earned a 90.1 pass-blocking grade without allowing a sack or quarterback hit across 651 pass-blocking snaps. PFF’s eventual tally was 1,405 consecutive pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack, stretching from 2020 into 2023.
For me, Lane is the greatest right tackle I have ever watched, and I fully expect him to end up in Canton. Jeffrey Lurie clearly agrees, saying in the retirement announcement that he has no doubt Lane will eventually enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The last goodbye to the Core Four
Jason Kelce. Brandon Graham. Fletcher Cox. Lane Johnson.
Those four names represent an entire era of Eagles football to me. The Core Four helped carry the franchise through coaching changes, miserable seasons, and championship runs, and they gave the team a recognizable and powerful identity.
Kelce and Cox stepped away, Graham eventually followed, and Lane was the last member still out there.
Kelce’s response to Lane’s retirement was fittingly personal: “I love him like a brother!” He also described Lane as the NFL’s best right tackle over the past decade and praised the almost artistic quality of his movements in pass protection.
He wasn’t the only one with praise. Sirianni said Wednesday, “I’ll miss him dearly, and I wish him the best,” while explaining that their relationship would continue well beyond football.
Hurts had already put it well back in August, when Lane said this would likely be his last season: “Lane is a special player. He’s had a very special career.”
Chris Long gave the most direct assessment: “There are no parades without him. HOF.”
The dog mask, the touchdown, and all those pancakes
Lane after the 15–10 playoff win over the Falcons. Photo: Michael Bryant / The Philadelphia Inquirer.
My favorite Lane image will always be that ridiculous German shepherd mask. The true underdogs.
Lane and Chris Long brought the masks into the 2017 postseason run, and this is always the first photo I think of when we talk about Lane. It was funny, slightly obnoxious, and exactly what The Birds needed to win their first Super Bowl.
Then there was the touchdown catch against the Giants on December 26, 2021. Hurts floated a five-yard pass to Lane, who had reported eligible and slipped into the end zone. Watching a lineman get his chance with the football is always fun. I was so happy for Lane.
Of course, he was always a great blocker. Let’s look at the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco after the 2022 season. Lane was playing through a torn adductor, and he and Jordan Mailata held Nick Bosa to zero sacks, quarterback hits, or hurries. Bosa had finished the regular season with 18.5 sacks. Philadelphia won 31–7.
His run blocking deserves its own appreciation, too. Pass protection was his calling card, but there was something deeply enjoyable about watching him displace an edge defender and clear a path for an Eagles back. Jimmy Kempski’s compilation of Lane’s 2024 pancake blocks is a wonderful reminder of how fun it can be just to watch great run blocking.
Watch the Lane Johnson section of Kempski’s pancake compilation here.
He has earned the right to make this decision
The timing hurts as a fan, but Lane has absolutely earned the right to retire. I do not want to hear other Eagles fans dragging his name.
In his retirement statement, he said it was “critical that I focus on my mental health” and explained that his family priorities had changed. He had also spoken during training camp about his aging parents and their health. Those are the reasons he has chosen to share, and they deserve our respect.
The Eagles will feel this, and Markel Bell’s future has arrived early
Through the recent Rams game, including the playoffs, Philadelphia’s record since Lane arrived looked like this:
| Lane’s status | Eagles record | Winning percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Played | 122–63–1 | 65.9% |
| Did not play | 18–30 | 37.5% |
And Lane was still playing well this season. Through his three games this season, PFF graded him 79.8 overall, fifth among qualified tackles, and 82.3 in pass protection, third. He allowed two pressures and no sacks or quarterback hits. This team has lost a player who was still giving it excellent football.
Now the opportunity belongs to Markel Bell. Sirianni’s Wednesday press conference addressed Bell becoming the starting right tackle, bringing the succession plan forward much sooner than I hoped.
Back in August, I wrote “Markel Answers the Bell: The Future of the Right Tackle Position Is Secure” because I believed in his size, movement, and potential. I still do. I just expected him to have considerably more time learning behind Lane before taking on this responsibility.Bell has a chance to become an excellent Eagles tackle. Asking him to immediately provide what Lane provided is another matter, especially on an offense already struggling to find its footing.
Thank you, Lane. I cannot wait to see you in that gold jacket.
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