Howie Stays Busy
Posted August 24th, 2025 | 1 Comment »The Eagles dealt for backup quarterback Sam Howell early on Sunday. Howie Roseman decided three trades sounded better than one so he kept wheeling and dealing, with the focus shifting to the offensive line.
Can confirm the #Eagles are acquiring Fred Johnson from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick as reported by @AdamSchefter.
Big addition for an offensive line depth chart that sorely needed a reliable swing tackle.
— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) August 24, 2025
The Eagles are trading OL Darian Kinnard to the Packers for a 2027 6th-round pick, per league source. (@AdamSchefter reported first.)
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) August 25, 2025
Nothing like a quiet Sunday night.
Johnson comes back to Philly to be the swing tackle. He is a good addition for a few reasons. Johnson started 6 games for the Eagles last year so he knows the offense. He can play both RT and LT. He’s got the kind of size and length that Jeff Stoutland loves in his OTs. The addition of Johnson allows Matt Pryor to focus on playing OG, where he is a more natural fit. Drew Kendall can focus on center. Kinnard became the odd man out.
Why did the Eagles let Johnson leave in free agency? They were hoping to find a good tackle prospect in the draft. There was some speculation that the Eagles could even use a first round pick on an OT. Obviously that didn’t happen. They did draft Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams, who are both projects. Neither of them is close to being ready to play. The team signed Kendall Lamm hoping he could be a cheap solution. Lamm wasn’t 100 percent healthy and that showed in his play. He struggled this summer. Pryor and Darrian Kinnard both got some looks at LT, but the team quickly realized neither of them was ready to play there in a game. You’d be putting Jalen Hurts at risk.
J Mailata
L Dickerson
C Jurgens
T Steen
L Johnson
F Johnson
M Pryor
D Kendall
There are your top eight OL. Hinton is basically a lock for the ninth spot. Stout loves him and his potential. The question is what to do with the final spot. It will probably go to Brett Toth, who the coaches trust more than I do. It is also possible the coaches could decide to keep Williams based on his potential. I think Toth would have a good chance to make it to the practice squad.
I thought Kinnard had a good summer, playing well at OG and OT. I was impressed with his progress. At the same time, I’m not sure that he was ready to play key snaps in a meaningful game. The Eagles probably would have loved to put him on the practice squad, but knew he wouldn’t make it there. Trading him now secures a pick.
It doesn’t feel like this will be the last trade for the Eagles. They still have a good amount of picks and have a couple of areas they might want to add to.
The Eagles have arguably the best roster in the league and they still found a way to get better today.
Howie Roseman last month: “If there’s an incremental difference on a player who’s the 90th guy from a guy who’s on the street, we’re going to make that change.”
This is the way Roseman operates. It’s why every draft, you can count on reports that they’re working the phones. It’s…
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) August 25, 2025
Always be looking.
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