The 2019 NFL offseason has begun for the Philadelphia Eagles, which means Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson will spend the next couple of weeks evaluating the 2018 roster. It’s time to start figuring out what this team needs to do to get back to the Super Bowl. Today we’ll continue this roster outlook series by looking at the offensive tackle position.

THE PLAYERS

LANE JOHNSON

Regular season stats: 962 snaps, 15 starts, 11th out of 85 tackles graded by PFF, 5 sacks, 5 hits allowed, 26 hurries allowed, 5 penalties

Playoff stats: 116 snaps, 2 starts, 18th out of 24 tackles graded by PFF, 0 sacks, 0 hits allowed, 3 hurries allowed, 0 penalties

Review: Johnson had a bit of a rough patch early during the 2018 season but he ultimately bounced back and finished strong despite playing through a high ankle sprain. Johnson’s efforts allowed him to make the Pro Bowl as a first-team alternate.

Outlook: It’s always possible Johnson moves over to left tackle at some point but maybe he’ll just stay put at right tackle for his entire career. The 28-year-old is signed through 2021 so he should have years of high-level performance left in him.

JASON PETERS

Regular season stats: 868 snaps, 16 starts, 37th out of 85 tackles graded by PFF, 2 sacks allowed, 8 hits allowed, 24 hurries allowed, 8 penalties

Playoff stats: 102 snaps, 2 starts, 21st out of 24 tackles graded by PFF, 1 sack allowed, 1 hit allowed, 2 hurries allowed, 1 penalty

Review: Peters is a warrior. He managed to start all 16 games despite coming off a 2017 ACL injury and suffering qudriceps/biceps injuries during the 2018 season. Peters clearly wasn’t what he used to be but he was still a quality starter for the Eagles, all things considered. It was great that he got to experience the first playoff win of his career with Philly’s victory over the Bears.

Outlook: Peters just turned 37 years old last week but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. The only way he’s not back, I think, is if he retires. I’d be shocked if the Eagles decided to merely cut a future Hall of Famer who is “best friends” with Jeffrey Lurie. Peters is currently set to be the 17th highest paid left tackle in terms of annual value. That’s relatively fair; it’s not like the Eagles are paying him some exorbitant amount of money. I think JP is the Eagles’ starting left tackle in 2019. As always, it’s just a question of how long he’ll be able to last during a game in any given week.

HALAPOULIVAATI VAITAI

Regular season stats: 334 snaps, 1 start, 80th out of 85 tackles graded by PFF, 4 sacks allowed, 4 hits allowed, 9 hurries allowed, 2 penalties

Playoff stats: 16 snaps

Review: Big V really struggled in the 2018 preseason. He wasn’t much better when he had to fill in for Peters or Johnson in the regular season.

Outlook: Vaitai has proven to be an acceptable swing tackle but we’ve seen enough from him to know he’s just not an ideal long-term starter. If the Eagles are entering a season with Big V as their second best tackle, that’s just not good enough. Philadelphia should not be settling on him as Carson Wentz’s primary blindside protector.

JORDAN MAILATA

Review: The Eagles traded up to select Mailata in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft despite the fact he’d never played football in his life. Mailata began rookie minicamp by struggling to even hear out of his helmet. He often got his butt kicked in practice but then he was somehow much more competent than expected in the preseason. Former NFL offensive linemen were raving about his “unbelievable development.” Interestingly enough, the Eagles kept Mailata active on game day over Pryor for a few games. Mailata never played a single snap, however, and finished the season on injured reserve after suffering some non-disclosed injury.

Outlook: Honestly, who the hell knows what to expect from this 6-8, 346 pound, 21-year-old? He’s obviously incredibly intriguing. Hopefully he ends up being as awesome as everyone thinks he can be. I just don’t think the Eagles can (or will) absolutely count on him panning out. Mailata should probably be treated like a $20 bill you find in your back pocket that you didn’t know was there. You can’t go to the restaurant planning to pay with something you didn’t know you even had, but if you happen to find it, awesome.

MATT PRYOR

Review: The Eagles’ sixth-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft got some early buzz in training camp before struggling in preseason games. Pryor was only active for one game last season and he didn’t play a single snap.

Outlook: It’ll be mildly interesting to see how the Eagles view Pryor’s position moving forward. The 6-7, 338 pound blocker saw time at both guard and tackle during offseason practices. I think the Eagles realistically hope he can become their next Allen Barbre; a replacement level starter or a backup who can play every non-center spot.

TYREEK BURWELL

Review: The Eagles signed Burwell to a reserve/future contract earlier this month.

Outlook: Probably just a camp body.

FREE AGENCY OR TRADES

I don’t see the Eagles spending big on free agent offensive tackles. Maybe sign a vet minimum guy and/or a potential reclamation project like Ereck Flowers?

NFL DRAFT OPTIONS

The Eagles could feasibly select an offensive tackle with their first-round pick at No. 25 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Some names that could make sense for Philly include: Tytus Howard, Andre Dillard, Greg Little, Yodny Cajuste. Ideally, Peters could start in the short-term with the rookie stepping in to replace him in 2020.