New Era

PHILADELPHIA — Not that long ago the Eagles fielded a historically prolific offensive line – two seasons ago, to be exact.

Of that core, the group that paved the way for a 2,000-yard rusher en route to Super Bowl LIX, only left tackle Jordan Mailata will be suiting up Sunday at Tottenham Stadium, where the Eagles will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Left guard Landon Dickerson, whose injury history reads extensive, remains on injured reserve, mending from a bone bruise in his knee. Right tackle Lane Johnson, a five-time All-Pro, called it a career earlier this week after 14 seasons.

And Wednesday afternoon, the Eagles shipped Cam Jurgens, a center by trade playing out of position at left guard the past three games out of necessity, to the Baltimore Ravens for an impressive return.

A changing of the guard, to be sure, though each member should forever be remembered for their contributions in fueling the franchise’s second Super Bowl title. In the case of Johnson, one of the greatest offensive tackles in league history, his legacy is likely to be preserved in Canton.

Lining up at Johnson’s spot moving forward will be rookie Markel Bell, the Eagles’ third-round pick this spring. Coming off a Monday night game in Chicago in which he logged his first offensive snap, Bell learned hours before kickoff between the Eagles and Rams that he would make his first NFL start. Johnson, abruptly listed as questionable due to personal reasons, was subsequently deemed inactive, inevitably placing Bell under the spotlight.

“On Sunday, I got let known pretty on short notice that I would be starting, of course,” Bell explained Wednesday. “It was kind of a shock at first, but I did the best I could. Gave everything I had, full effort and everything. So, that’s in the past. Just learn from my mistakes and moving forward. Go play the Jaguars in London.”

A pivot of that magnitude would be a tall task for any rookie, especially one deprived of the benefit of preparing with the starters throughout the week.

Still, Bell fared decently in his debut, offering a promising glimpse into the future. Listed at 6-foot-9, 346 pounds – and boasting an 87 1/8-inch wingspan – Bell offers unique measurables to the reconfigured Eagles offensive line.

Sure, growing pains are to be expected in his new role and should be viewed as on-the-job training, but the perspective Bell acquired since joining the Eagles could lessen the learning curve.

For months, Bell served as an understudy of sorts to Johnson, who notably commended the rookie in training camp for his professionalism.

“He’s one of the best rookies I’ve been around as far as being in the playbook, no complaining,” Johnson said back on Aug. 8. “I haven’t heard him complain one time. He’s always asking questions. Just a really mature young man. He handles stuff off the field well.

“He’s always asking questions. You can tell he was coached up well at Miami. I see a guy with that size and that ability and that wingspan and that movement, he can have a lot of success in this business.”

While there’s no replacing Johnson, Bell will now have an opportunity to put his stamp on the position, cementing his status as a long-term starter with encouraging development. Among the many things Bell has absorbed from Johnson during their time working together, it’s a simple, albeit valuable, piece of wisdom that’s most influenced him.

“He gave me a lot of wisdom, and one thing he always said was, ‘Don’t make the game bigger than what it is,'” Bell recalled. “And so, I feel like, in the NFL, a lot of people can make it bigger than what it is. So, that’s one thing he really harped on.”

With Jurgens no longer in the picture, and Dickerson still sidelined, next up at left guard is expected to be second-year pro – and fan favorite – Willie Lampkin, whom defensive tackle Jordan Davis in August referred to as a “bowling ball of knives.”

Lampkin stands at 5-foot-11 and weighs in at around 290 pounds – atypical for an offensive lineman, certainly for a guard, but Lampkin uses his size to his advantage. But natural leverage aside, Lampkin wins with precise technique, heavy hands and a powerful base. His wrestling background, Lampkin said, has also helped shape his skill set.

“I would say battling up front,” he said last month. “That’s the biggest thing. Like wrestling, even if you’re in a bad position, you just wanna try to fight and get back into a better position. That’s the wrestling part, especially when it comes to hand-fighting with the D-linemen or even just trying to get in front of them.

“If I’m wrestling, I don’t want them to get an underhook on me because they can do so many moves off the underhook. So now, I’m trying to get up out of it, shake them off. It’s just so much, I would say hand-fighting, having leverage, just trying to be a dog. That’s where wrestling comes from. It helps.”

Lampkin, who repped at both center and guard in college, cross-trained at both positions in training camp. While it remains to be seen what position the Eagles feel best accentuates his strengths and positions the team for success, Lampkin, who last month noted his growth on the mental side, plays with a discernible edge.

Wherever Lampkin ultimately lines up, he won’t be difficult to spot. His dense, squatty frame will differentiate from everyone else on the field, though it’s unknown how it will translate to a regular season game setting. He even acknowledged that his build, a source of intrigue and infatuation, has contributed to his share of doubters.

“You could say that,” he said. “There haven’t really been a lot of guys that’s my size playing offensive line, so it’s kind of like uncommon for people to just accept it.”

Reserve offensive lineman John Ojukwu, who in training camp occasionally played alongside Lampkin at right tackle, has directly contributed to the preparation of both newly minted starters this week. During individuals, Ojukwu, as part of the scout team, is tasked with properly emulating the Jaguars’ defensive linemen based on film study.

“It’s usually the Monday after a game, or even Tuesday, a little bit. But we do a good job,” he said. “Like, we even have scout meetings. So, we see, for the defense, how we’re supposed to block them. And on our own, we can watch some of the D-line as we’re watching that in a team setting and all that with the actual line. But you can pick up on little things here and there, and then just make sure you’re giving the right look.”

Ojukwu, who spent a sizeable portion of training camp working with the second unit,  offered a scouting report on Lampkin that can’t be fully appreciated by the untrained eye.

“Hard worker,” he said. “High energy and everything, and brings technique with it. And he’s never gonna quit on the play. Never gonna not go hard. So, when you bring that and the technique together, it’s, like, he can be a special player.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is the Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com