Jason Kelce can keep his streak going with Eagles activating him from COVID list

While the expectation is that the Philadelphia Eagles will be resting their key players against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, there is one starter who will likely be lining up on Saturday evening: Jason Kelce.

The Eagles activated Kelce from reserve/COVID-19 on Friday. The other 11 players who went on the list on Monday still remain.

Kelce’s activation is significant because his absence would’ve snapped his consecutive regular-season game, which is currently at 121. It’s the longest active streak among NFL centers.

Another reason for Kelce to make an appearance is that it will give him the third-most games (159) played by an offensive lineman in Eagles franchise history, only behind Chuck Bednarik (169) and Tra Thomas (166).

One would assume that Kelce won’t be out on the field for very long on Saturday night. Many would advocate for him to take a single snap to start the game before promptly getting him out of there. But perhaps he’ll be for an entire drive? We’ll see.

In any case, good to know that Kelce’s streak won’t be ruined. Those numbers will only further help his case as a Hall of Famer one day.

And, on a much more depressing note, it’s possible that Saturday night will mark Kelce’s last game at Lincoln Financial Field. He’s still playing at a very high level, so it’s not like anyone is pushing him out of the door. But Kelce turned 34 in November, he now has two kids, and he’s previously given weight to retiring. He might not want to subject his body to even more physical punishment. Plus, his contract status is up in the air.

What the future holds remains to be seen. For now, we know we’ll be seeing Kelce (briefly) suit up on Saturday night.