The Eagles have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, but those took a hit when top guard Brandon Brooks tore his Achilles last month. They're bringing an old friend back to play that spot -- maybe insure the left tackle position, as well.
Jason Peters manned left tackle for Philadelphia for most of the last 11 years, a Pro Bowl tackle in seven of them. But the Eagles appeared set to move on from him this offseason, having traded up to draft Andre Dillard in the first round a year ago. Peters was out there for most of the offseason, but now he's back with Philadelphia.
The plan is that they'll use him at guard in place of Brooks, with Dillard starting in his old spot. But considering Dillard is unproven, Peters can also be looked at as an insurance policy if the youngster struggles or gets hurt. Fourth-rounder Jack Driscoll, a tackle at Auburn, is another possibility, either at tackle or guard. But signing Peters gives them more options.
There are questions, but even with Brooks sidelined, this might be a top-10 line. In Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson they have top-shelf players at center and right tackle. Left guard Isaac Seumalo is a solid starter. And just maybe they'll be better at left tackle, since the 38-year-old Peters had definitely slipped on the blind side.
Last season, the Eagles allowed 37 sacks on their quarterbacks, which was a little better than average. But looking at quarterback hits, only seven teams allowed more. Lots of those poor performances were by the worst lines in the league.
| OFFENSIVE LINE PERFORMANCE, 2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Sacks | QB Hits |
| Oakland Raiders | 29 | 52 |
| New Orleans Saints | 25 | 58 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 28 | 59 |
| Cleveland Browns | 41 | 67 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 28 | 68 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 50 | 69 |
| Kansas City | 25 | 71 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 36 | 73 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 32 | 78 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 22 | 79 |
| Denver Broncos | 41 | 84 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 42 | 84 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 48 | 84 |
| Green Bay Packers | 36 | 85 |
| Chicago Bears | 45 | 86 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 23 | 87 |
| Buffalo Bills | 40 | 87 |
| New England Patriots | 28 | 90 |
| Detroit Lions | 43 | 92 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 34 | 93 |
| Houston Texans | 49 | 93 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 32 | 95 |
| Washington | 50 | 97 |
| Tennessee Titans | 56 | 99 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 37 | 100 |
| Carolina Panthers | 58 | 102 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 47 | 106 |
| New York Jets | 52 | 106 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 48 | 111 |
| New York Giants | 43 | 119 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 50 | 136 |
| Miami Dolphins | 58 | 147 |
A lot of it hinges on Dillard. If they scouted him correctly, they'll be better at left tackle than they were last year. And then if Peters successfully makes the transition to guard, they could be OK at that spot (they're paying him $3 million with another $3 million available in incentives, so they seem to think he's got something left).
Probably optimistic to think the overall line will be as good without Brooks. But if they're better at tackle and only slightly worse at guard, it could still be a top-10 group.
--Andy Richardson