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Not to get Offensive, but...


Alright so I'm sure we've all been paying attention lately to the recent news from the all-knowing PFF.

They claim that the Eagles have the best offensive line in the league while putting the oft-touted Dallas unit at number 9.

My question is how much can we trust these numbers?

Every time I'm talking to a Dallas fan (even before this article was released) I mention how our offensive line could potentially be better than theirs and that they have an overrated crew. As Dallas fans do, they simply repeated how great their line was last season and pointed to Elliott's numbers and Dak's protection. And they aren't wrong. Dallas easily had the best line in the league last year.

I think the key to the Eagles having the superior line this season lies in two factors, forgive me if I'm just repeating the BGN article here but it feels good to get this down.

The first thing: Lane Johnson is back.

It's no secret Johnson was sorely missed while serving his PED suspension last season. It was evident when he came back, especially in the Giants game, that the Eagles offense was a completely different unit. They were able to utilize his mobility to really get the running backs out in space. Credit to Big V who stepped in admirably, but he is nowhere close to the player Johnson is. On top of that, Johnson is widely regarded in league circles as the best RT in the league, and will soon take over for the legendary Jason Peters once he hangs up his cleats. In summation, having the type of player that Johnson is return to the lineup can only bode well for gang green.

The second thing: the Cowboys lost two starters.

I think this thing is GROSSLY overlooked by many fans and analysts alike. They will point to how good Elliott and Dak were last year and that they will build on that, yet fail to mention how integral the line was to their success. There isn't a chance in hell Elliott runs for that many yards without that line, and you best believe Dak gets knocked down a whole lot more in Seattle, among other places. Now they have lost tackle Doug Free to retirement and guard Ronald Leary to free agency. Continuity is very key on the offensive line and Dallas will absolutely suffer from this as well as from a drop off in talent from these two players.

I'm not saying Dallas won't have a great line next year, they will. I just wanted to point out that the Eagles are trending upwards when you factor in continuity, talent, and even depth. Chance Warmack, Steven Wiz, Isaac Seumalo, and Big V are great guys to have on the bench. And to paraphrase Jeff Stoutland, they could be starting at several other places around the NFL.

This piece was purely bred out of the boredom that stems from being a die hard NFL/Eagles fan desperately wanting some action in late June. Here's to hoping that these points are correct and we have a successful season next year!

Go birds!