Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

More OL Talk

Posted July 1st, 2025 | 2 Comments »

In my last piece I wrote about the Eagles having the best offensive line as we head into the 2025 season. Three of the starters are Pro Bowlers. The RG spot remains up for grabs so we’ll see how that battle plays out. LT Jordan Mailata is the only returning starter who has yet to make a Pro Bowl.

So how good is Mailata?

Pro Bowls are a useful tool in a general sense. They give you an idea of which players are considered to be good by media and fans. They do not tell us who the best players are. You need to find analysts who study all players thoroughly and have an expertise. There are a lot of talking heads on TV and podcasts who say things either as hot takes or simply as ill-informed opinions.

Mailata is a good player. The question with him is how good. Brandon Thorn is an OL guru and here is how he had Mailata rated among LTs going into last season.

11. Jordan Mailata – Mailata’s game is likely still evolving considering he is just a few years into his football playing life. Right now, the 6’8”, 365 pound road-grader forms one half of the biggest, most physically imposing left side of a line (with Landon Dickerson) in football. Mailata’s initial quickness and overall movement skills are impressive at his size, but he is still a tick late recovering out of compromising positions against inside moves and has some lag time in his anchor versus speed to power. Mailata has clear ‘trump card’ strengths as a run blocker with solid pass protection skills that can and should sharpen with more time under Jeff Stoutland’s tutelage.

Thorn put Mailata into a tier labeled as Good/Above Average. I think that is a fair assessment of Mailata from a year ago. Mailata just had his best season so it will be interesting to see where Thorn has Mailata ranked this season. Before you get mad at Thorn, he has Lane Johnson as his #1 RT.

PFF loves Mailata.

That feels a bit too much for Mailata based on my game reviews. Mailata is an outstanding run blocker. He is a good pass blocker, but is vulnerable to small speed rushers. If they stay low, they make it tough for a guy like him with such a tall build. He has to retreat while also staying low and trying to control a moving target. Not easy at all.

The Eagles play design tells you what they think of Mailata.

They wouldn’t put him on an island that much if they didn’t trust him. That doesn’t mean he wins all those battles, but he does win most of them. The risk is worth the reward to the Eagles coaching staff. They can get all five receivers into pass routes and not have to worry about helping the OL. If Jalen Hurts does get pressure, he can use his feet to move around and either buy time or take off.

Mailata should make a Pro Bowl at some point. With Lane Johnson and Penei Sewell usually taking up 2 of the 3 OT spots, that leaves a lot of guys battling for just one position. It isn’t easy.

*****

Here is a fun interview with Lane Johnson. He has a few good lines in there.

Shady McCoy is one of the hosts. There is an interesting point that is a joke, but tells us a lot about the 2024 team. Shady talks about how mad he would have been if the Tush Push stole a bunch of short TDs from him. He’s laughing and joking, but you get the feeling there is some truth to that. Part of what made the 2024 Eagles so great is that egos were put aside for the most part.

Saquon Barkley had a chance to have his most rushing yards in the first meeting with the Giants. Nick Sirianni offered to keep him in the game, but Barkley told Sirianni to “let the young guys eat”. Barkley wanted the rushing record at the end of the season, but didn’t push for it because he knew the team’s goal of winning the Super Bowl was more important.

Bryce Huff could have set the NFL record for sacks in a season, but he decided to stop once he got to 2.5. That kind of selflessness is rare.

Back to the interview for a minute, Johnson talks about a simple key to the success of last year’s OL being size. They were just bigger and stronger than anyone else. There is some truth to that, but what made them special is the agility and athleticism they combined with their size. That is rare stuff.

*****

UDFA Hollin Pierce, the massive LT from Rutgers, worked at OG this spring. He is bigger than Mekhi Becton. If Jeff Stoutland wants another massive OG in the mix, Pierce would make some sense. He’s not ready to play now, but could be worth developing for the future.

Lots of potential.

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First in Line

Posted June 29th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The big difference in Super Bowl LIX is that Jalen Hurts had time to throw and Patrick Mahmoes didn’t. The Chiefs offensive line was a mess. The Eagles OL played well. That’s how a game that was expected to be tight was 40-6 in the fourth quarter. Line play matters.

The Eagles return four of five starters on the OL and should once again be really good.

The line starts with Lane Johnson, who is the best offensive linemen in the NFL. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Johnson has been in the league since 2013, but somehow remains an elite player. Most of the league would kill to build their OL around a player like Johnson.

LT Jordan Mailata is an above-average player. PFF loves him and gives him really high grades. Mailata is a good pass blocker and can be a great run blocker, with his combination of power and athleticism. LG Landon Dickerson has been elected to three straight Pro Bowls. Dickerson is a tough, physical inside presence. Cam Jurgens moved from RG to C in 2024 and made his first Pro Bowl. Jurgens is a terrific athlete who excels at blocking on the move. He’s not Kelce, but is the next best thing in terms of movement ability.

As of now Tyler Steen is projected as the RG. Steen only has three career starts so lack of experience is his biggest issue. He has NFL size and athleticism. Steen has looked good at times when he has played.

Steen will have to earn the RG position. He’s in the lead for now, but Matt Pryor and several other players will push for the job. Steen has the potential to be a good starting OL in the NFL. I think some people forget he went to Alabama and was a Top 75 pick. He’s not some pet project of the coaching staff. Steen is a legit player. We just don’t know if he can be a consistently good starter. He has to win the job and show that over the course of the season.

OL play isn’t about five individuals playing on their own. The players have to work together and function as one O-line. If you watch the Eagles on double-teams and combo blocks, you can see the good chemistry they have and how well-coached they are. That’s a tribute to Jeff Stoutland, the best OL coach in the league.

The Eagles line has great chemistry on and off the field. Mailata has developed into a vocal leader, filling the void left by Kelce’s retirement. Johnson and Dickerson are fiery guys. The players get along off the field and that helps them to be a tight, cohesive line on the field.

Depth is a bit of a mystery. Pryor started 15 games for the Bears last year. He’s got 39 career starts. Pryor has excellent size and strength. He will push for the RG job, but could be a good backup OG if he doesn’t win that. Kendall Lamm was signed in free agency to add depth at LT. He’s got 44 career starts.

The Eagles drafted Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams to add depth at OT. Stoutland seemed especially excited about adding Hinton. Drew Kendall was taken in the fifth round, with the hope that he can develop into the backup center and also offer depth at OG. Trevor Keegan is in his second season. He only played in one game last year.

Darrian Kinnard is back at RT. He started the regular season finale and I thought he was solid. I don’t know that he’ll ever develop into a starter, but he could be a reliable backup. Brett Toth is still on the roster. Hopefully Kendall will beat him out as C/G.

If the Eagles are going to repeat as Super Bowl champs, they will need the OL to have another strong season. With so much talent back and Stoutland still running the show, the line should once again be at the top of the league.

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