The Philadelphia Eagles have had a busy offseason in the past month. After firing Chip Kelly, bringing back GM Howie Roseman and signing new coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles have given a huge contract extension to right tackle Lane Johnson, as they were able to reach a deal to the tune of six years, $63 million with $35.5 million guaranteed. This clearly was a smart decision by the new regime, as they bolstered the offensive line.
It was reported recently that Johnson was talking with the Eagles on a new deal, and after a couple of years of some bad personnel decisions by Kelly, the Eagles finally made a good one.
Johnson was the fourth overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft for Philadelphia, and after some struggles in his rookie season, he's risen the ranks and is now and undisputed top 10 right tackle in the NFL. Based on his Pro Football Focus grades, he's gone from the 26th best in his rookie campaign to sixth and 10th, respectively, over the last two seasons. In 2014, in fact, he only gave up one sack and two quarterback hits in 909 snaps; that's why the Oklahoma product is getting this deal.
The Eagles are in a state of flux right now. Nobody is truly sure what to expect from Pederson or Roseman, who's in his second stint as GM of the organization.
Things will obviously be run differently than the past two years, but will it be what is in the best interest of the team?
Based on the one piece of evidence we have so far with this regime, hope is certainly alive and well. Johnson is a key piece of their offense, and now they have him locked in through 2021. As well, their bookend of tackles, as Johnson pairs up with Jason Peters -- the longtime left tackle who is signed through 2018 -- are in place for at least the next three seasons.
Philly made a good decision today, but if they want to return to the playoffs anytime soon, more moves like this will need to be made during the rest of this offseason.
