Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) in action against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Could Lane Johnson be the Eagles' starting tight end?

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 12/1/22

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but given the state of the Eagles’ tight end position, maybe it’s time for Lane Johnson to bust out some old moves. He couldn’t do much worse.

Twelve years and 57 pounds ago, Johnson was a quarterback-turned-tight end for Kilgore Community College. He made the switch to offensive line as an Oklahoma Sooner in 2011.

There’s no record of Johnson having a catch at either school, but the man has hands. Just look at this grab from last year:

LANE JOHNSON TOUCHDOWN CATCH. #FlyEaglesFly

: #NYGvsPHI on FOX
: NFL app pic.twitter.com/lSXXPd858w
— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2021

Why couldn’t Jalen Reagor do that? For those keeping track, that’s one more touchdown than all Philadelphia tight ends not named Dallas Goedert have this year.

Before going out with a shoulder injury against the Commanders, Goedert had 43 catches for 544 yards and three touchdowns. Since then, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra and Tyree Jackson have combined for three catches for five yards. Of the three, only Stoll has positive yardage.

The tight end position doesn’t need to be so difficult. They catch, they run and they block. Does anybody block better than Johnson? The man hasn’t allowed a sack in two years.

Even with the injury, Goedert leads Philadelphia with 361 yards after the catch. Imagine trying to bring down 325 pounds of Johnson in the open field. Easier said than done.

Coach Sirianni needs to keep an open mind. The team turned Jordan Mailata, a rugby player, into a dominant left tackle. It’s time to get creative at tight end.

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