Offensive Line Problems Could Sink the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014

Even as the Andy Reid era gave way to the Chip Kelly era in Philadelphia, the Eagles knew they had one of the most reliable offensive lines in football.

That hasn't changed.

Left tackle Jason Peters is a three-time All-Pro, left guard Evan Mathis is an advanced stats superstar coming off an All-Pro season himself, center Jason Kelce was graded by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) as the best player in football at that position last season, right guard Todd Herremans is a reliable veteran with 117 career starts under his belt, and right tackle Lane Johnson has a huge ceiling as a 24-year-old No. 4 overall pick. 

Position	Player	Age	2013 PFF ranking
Left tackle	Jason Peters	32	4th
Left guard	Evan Mathis	32	1st
Center	Jason Kelce	26	1st
Right guard	Todd Herremans	31	26th
Right tackle	Lane Johnson	23	39th

Three of their five starters were graded in the top five at their position by PFF, and two were first. Herremans was actually ranked second in terms of run-blocking (behind only Mathis), which is your first priority as a guard anyway.

And if you took Johnson's grade from the final nine games of his rookie year and spread it out over the first seven games (where he was still getting acclimated), he'd rank fourth among all right tackles.

Hell, even swing tackle Allen Barbre looked like a starting-caliber offensive lineman during spot duty last season. 

But when we previewed the Eagles' season in prediction form last week, we raised some concerns regarding two things.

First, a team that was impeccably healthy last season—to the point of anomaly—was likely to suffer some major injuries merely based on the law of averages. 

And second, the line might have been on the verge of decline in certain areas. 

"Peters is now 32 and probably on the verge of declining, Mathis will turn 33 this season, Herremans will turn 32 and is coming off a terrible season in pass protection, and Johnson is suspended for the first four games of the season," we wrote in the preview.

We'll throw in that Peters wasn't able to play 16 games in 2009, 2010 or 2011 and missed the entire 2012 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. At that age and with that injury history, he's a constant concern. 

But for now, Peters isn't the problem. It was Mathis and Barbre who went down with injuries during the season opener against Jacksonville Sunday.

Barbre, who was replacing the suspended Johnson, will have to undergo foot surgery and is out for the entire season while Mathis will be forced to miss a minimum of seven weeks on the short-term injured reserve with a knee sprain, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Lucky for the Eagles, their next three opponents—Indianapolis, Washington and San Francisco—aren't exactly stifling up front, especially with Robert Mathis out for the Colts, Barry Cofield out for the Redskins and Aldon Smith and NaVorro Bowman out for the 49ers. Beyond Week 4, Johnson will be eligible to return, softening the blow. 

But Evan Mathis "was diagnosed Monday with a Grade 3 sprain, which typically requires six to eight weeks of recovery," wrote McLane. "He will seek a second opinion Wednesday."

Lumped in with the Johnson suspension, the two injuries together could be back-breaking. Based on PFF's metrics, Mathis has been by far the best guard in the game the last two years, and he's particularly strong paving way for the running game. Behind him and the rest of that now-shaken line, running back LeSean McCoy led the league in rushing last season while the Eagles finished the year as the only team to average more than five yards per carry. 

Guard	Overall grade	Run block grade
1. Evan Mathis	100.3	75.7
2. Josh Sitton	56.0	20.5
3. Louis Vasquez	46.8	13.7
4. Ben Grubbs	35.3	11.2
5. Andy Levitre	32.6	14.3

And quarterback Nick Foles already has a reputation for holding onto the ball too long. It took him longer to throw than any other qualifying quarterback in the league last year, per PFF, and only two pivots held on longer in Week 1. 

It doesn't bode well that he'll have to spend three weeks with a third-stringer at right tackle and at least seven with a reserve at left guard. That is unless Philly moves Herremans back outside, where he started in 2011 and 2012. But again, Herremans is no spring chicken, and he was moved inside for a reason. In fact, he was graded by PFF as the third-worst pass-blocking guard in the game last year. 

So they'll have to play musical chairs regardless for at least half the season, which sucks for everyone. Even if unsung backups David Molk and Andrew Gardner hold it together, as they did in relief of the injured starters Sunday, and even if newly signed veteran O-lineman Wade Smith steps up, they could have problems on their hands. 

Position	Player	Age	2013 PFF ranking
Left tackle	Jason Peters	32	4th
Left guard	David Molk	25	N/A
Center	Jason Kelce	26	1st
Right guard	Todd Herremans	31	26th
Right tackle	Andrew Gardner	28	N/A

Continuity along the offensive line is so important in this league, especially with young quarterbacks like Foles and somewhat fragile running backs like McCoy. 

This offense was immensely successful last year, and part of that had to do with the fact the entire line started all 16 regular-season games.

Two years ago, when Peters was sidelined throughout the season, Kelce was a rookie being eased in, Herremans missed half the year with a foot injury and Danny Watkins was a mess, Mathis was the only man to start the entire season.

That year, eight different guys made starts in various places along the line, including scrubs King Dunlap, Dallas Reynolds, Demetress Bell, Dennis Kelly and Jake Scott. 

Unsurprisingly, that line gave up 202 pressures, which, according to PFF, was the fourth-highest total in football. 

Unsurprisingly, Foles suffered a season-ending hand injury on a play in which Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan plowed through Kelly, who was filling in for Herremans at right tackle. McCoy also missed four games due to a concussion. 

Unsurprisingly, the offense scored fewer points than all but three other teams in football while turning the ball over a tied-for-league-high 37 times. 

Year	O-line starters	PPG	YPG	Turnovers
2012	8	17.5 (29)	354.1 (15)	37 (T-30)
2013	5	27.6 (4)	417.2 (2)	19 (T-4)

I know: That was Reid, and this is Kelly. Different system, new weapons. But we're still talking about Foles, McCoy and wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper. This time, they've got Zach Ertz, Jordan Matthews and Darren Sproles, but they're also without field-stretcher DeSean Jackson.

It's not time to panic, but this is a major cause for concern. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFC East for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon