For the first time in what feels like forever, the Eagles' offensive front is the topic of conversation. After a poor week 1 performance from Landon Dickerson that could well have been the result of an injury that later landed him on IR, Drew Kendall appears to be next in line at LG.
A fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Kendall is set to make his NFL debut against one of the better pass-rushers in the NFL - Jeffery Simmons. Eagles fans have become so used to the relaibility that Stoutland University brought throughout the years, that situations like this would simply fly under-the-radar with pure trust from the fanbase that Stout will have his guys ready to go.
From Jordan Mailata and Isaac Seumalo to Big-V, Nate Herbig, and everyone inbetween, the Eagles, and Stout specifically, had a near-mythical ability to develop lower-end draft picks into relaible backups and potential starters. But with Stoutland now gone, Chris Kuper's job is more than just simply filling boots.
The offensive line picture he inherited, on the surface, is a dominant one. Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, and Tyler Steen make up one of the league's most reveered offensive fronts. But beneath the starters lie dozens of questions.
The depth simply isn't what it once was - the price of success if you will...and it really won't be long before more than one man is called upon. Lane Johnson is in the twilight of his career, Landon Dickerson's heartbreaking injury history looks to be catching up, there are questions over Cam Jurgens, and Tyler Steen was a year later than expected in terms of earning that starting role.
This isn't to say the Eagles don't have talent up-front. Willie Lampkin looked excellent during the preseason, while Markel Bell drew rave reviews from some this Summer, with his gigantic 6'9 frame towering over a much smaller Lampkin by comparison. The question really becomes how much information have these three young players been able to absorb from some of the best in the game during their short NFL careers, and does that make them ready for when their number is called?
The chances of that happening are only ever increasing as the starters age and injuries begin to to rear their ugly heads. Chris Kuper's first test is to have an array of young talent ready for that opportunity, and the first occasion seems like it'll be this weekend.
All the pieces of the puzzle are there. Kuper is a former offensive lineman himself and this is his tenth year coaching the position. He overlapped with a playing Sean Mannion at the Vikings as a young coach and has helped so many young names blossom over his coaching career. He now gets to help mold some of the league's most freakishly athletic prospects as well as poke the brains of two potential future team Hall of Famers in Mailata and Johnson.
What nobody expected was for one of those younger names to be called into action so soon, but such is the nature of playing in the NFL. If Kendall, or Lampkin (whoever gets the nod) can slot in perfectly at Left Guard, it's beyond a testament to a positional coach in his first year with the team, that's also teaching a new offense. To get a crop of young guys ready to go is one thing, but to start and hold their own against a talent like Jeffery Simmons would truly be a cause for applause.
Nobody is expecting miracles, but the first real grading scale for Kuper's highly-regarded coaching ability is about to be pulled out. Unfortunately, the comparisons to Jeff Stoutland will remain for a while, but a strong day from whoever fills in for Dickerson will go a long way in fortifying a new era for an Eagles offensive line that's not only restocking the cupboards, but blossoming quicker than people likely gave raw prospects, and their new positional coach, credit for.
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