The First Injury

We have been sitting around waiting for some Eagles news. Tonight we found out the truth in the old saying “Be careful what you ask for because you just might get it.”

Our first hard news in a while wasn’t good.

Wow!! Eagles offensive line suffers a major blow today. Here’s what I know. https://t.co/pMF3tUIfFS

— Derrick Gunn (@RealDGunnNBCS) June 15, 2020

Ugh.

There were questions at LT, but the right side of the Eagles line was the best in football, with Jason Kelce in the middle, Brooks at RG and Johnson at RT. Now there will be questions on both sides.

Like I said, ugh.

First, let’s talk about what this means for the Eagles. Brooks started all 16 games last year, but he did miss some time. When he was out, Big V and Matt Pryor took his spot. Big V is gone, making Pryor the logical replacement.

Can Pryor get the job done? Jimmy Bama put up a Twitter thread showing the good and bad of Pryor.

https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/1246402639102869505

Jimmy came up with reasonable conclusions here, but I would say with young players you need to focus on what they can do more than what they can’t. As they get more experience, they can improve on their weaknesses.

Think about how far Isaac Seumalo has come since he first got on the field. Player development is a real thing and is crucial to long term success.

Pryor has the size and strength to be an effective starting guard in the NFL. He has the potential to be a good run blocker. He shows moments of being a stud. Pass blocking is the big issue. That requires a mixture of skill and athleticism. Pryor doesn’t have great skill right now and he’s an average athlete at best.

Jeff Stoutland can coach up Pryor and develop him into an effective pass blocker. “Can” is the crucial word there. Obviously, there are no guarantees when it comes to young players. Stoutland is a big fan of Pryor’s and would likely push for his young guy to get a chance to show what he can do.

Nothing will be given to Pryor. Rookie Jack Driscoll was brought in to be the swing tackle, but could be a natural fit at guard. I previously compared him to John Welbourn, who was a terrific guard for the Eagles from 2000-2003.

Fellow rookie Prince Tega Wanogho played LT at Auburn. He has the size and physicality to move inside and play guard. I think the Eagles might prefer to keep him at OT because they need depth there.

Second year linemen Sua Opeta and Nate Herbig both impressed the Eagles enough to get roster spots as rookies. Opeta is powerful. He has okay size at 6-4, 301. He played outside in college, but is a better fit at G or C in the pros.

Herbig is big at 6-3, 338. Eagles coaches liked him quite a bit last year. Herbig could be an ideal fit at RG. The big problem is that he’s got no game experience. Herbig practiced all year, but never played in a game.

My guess is that the Eagles will focus on their young talent. They will want someone who is young and cheap to try to win the RG spot.

There are some other options.

The most interesting is the idea of Jason Peters signing with the Eagles to play RG. That feels highly unlikely, but it would be interesting to see what he could do in that role.

There are other players to look into.

Mike Person seemed to play pretty well forSF at RG. Cap casualty this offseason. Can also play C. Scangarello connection(which Ronald Leary also has).

— Greg Richards (@igglesnut) June 16, 2020

Ronald Leary and Larry Warford are two free agents to keep an eye on as well. Warford and Leary each both started 12+ games at guard last season.

Warford is younger and has played strictly RG in his career. 101 career starts under his belt. Leary has 76 career starts at LG/RG.

— Anthony DiBona (@ByADiBona) June 15, 2020

I think the Eagles will focus on their own players. They like the young guys and want to give them a chance to show what they can do. The team hasn’t shown an “all-in” mentality this offseason. They have focused on young, athletic players.

At the same time, the Eagles believe in aggressively addressing the OL and DL. If they have doubts about the current players, they won’t hesitate to find the best option available.

*****

This injury is bad for the Eagles, but it really stinks for Brooks. He will turn 31 in August. He had injuries at the end of the past two seasons. Now he will miss all of 2020. It is hard to predict the future for him.

Brooks has high cap figures starting next season. He is in the best shape of his life and is one of the best guards in the league, but age, cost and injury concerns will be real factors to consider.

We’ll all be pulling for him to make a comeback. Brooks is the kind of player you really want to succeed.

We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

_