Eagles Tackle Lane Johnson Out of Rams Clash for Personal Reasons

A Big Blow for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles will play without their star right tackle Lane Johnson for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. The team announced Johnson is inactive due to personal reasons.

The news comes as a surprise. The Eagles only listed Johnson as questionable shortly before the inactive list was released. He did not appear on the practice report at all during the week.

Depth Issues on the Line

With Johnson out, rookie Markel Bell is expected to start. The Eagles are facing a difficult situation on the offensive line. Fred Johnson is already out with a knee injury, meaning the team has no reserve tackles active for the game.

The team did not move tackle John Ojukwu from the practice squad before the Saturday deadline. This suggests the Eagles believed Johnson would be available. Now, interior linemen Willie Lampkin and Micah Morris are the only backup options.

Johnson is a key player for Philadelphia. Johnson, who is 36 years old, is a six time Pro Bowler, a two time Super Bowl champion, and has been named a first team All Pro twice.

Family Priorities

This is not the first time Johnson has stepped away this year. He missed four training camp practices in the summer for personal reasons. He also shared that this is likely his last year in the NFL.

Johnson spoke about his parents facing health struggles at the time. "My mom is struggling with some health stuff, my dad," he said. He added that as people get older, priorities change and things are put into perspective.