Philadelphia Eagles: How will Brandon Brooks’ Achilles injury affect 2019?
The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2018 season may be over, but after tearing his Achilles in the first half, Brandon Brooks’ 2019 season could be in question as well.
At this point, you have to feel sorry for Philadelphia Eagles‘ Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks.
The fifth best overall right guard in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, Brooks dominated at the line of scrimmage in all 17 of the Eagles’ games in 2018, allowing only one sack and two QB hits in 1,154 offensive snaps.
And now, to add insult to injury, his 2019 season could very well be in question following a Divisional Round torn Achilles against the New Orleans Saints.
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While it was incredibly tough to watch number 79 collapse as he attempted to limp off the field in the first half of the game, as his exit put considerable pressure on the Birds’ offensive line and may have cost them a win, when the diagnosis of a torn Achilles was officially confirmed by Brooks himself on Twitter, it put Brandon’s future very much into question for next season as well.
Unlike a broken bone, which has a very predictable recovery window, any torn tendon or ligament, be they an Achilles, ACL, or MCL, can get a bit tricky in a highly physical sport like football.
Fortunately, former Section 215 contributor/current Bleeding Green Nation Deputy Editor Benjamin Solak actually broke down the process in relation to Sidney Jones here.
To paraphrase his detailed breakdown, the best option on the table is a mini-open surgery, which has an average return window of 273 days. If the surgery were to take place today (doubtful) that would put us around the second Sunday in October, Week 6-7 of the 2019 NFL season.
Obviously, that’s not good.
As we (more recently) broke down here, if Jason Kelce opts to retire before the new league year begins in March, the Eagles will be incredibly light on the offensive line, a situation that becomes even more dire thanks to the developments with Brooks. With seldom-used guard Chance Warmack set to become a free agent, the Eagles would only have two interior linemen, Isaac Seumalo and Stefen Wisniewski under contract with any real on-field experience.
That too, isn’t good.
While the team could get creative and move Jason Peters to left guard to help mitigate Brooks’ injury, a conclusion that the team may have come to regardless if ‘The Body Guard’ decides to continue to play, that’s just moving bodies around to plug holes, as opposed to fortifying the line with fresh, higher-upside talent.
No, because of Brooks’ injury, the offensive line, regardless of position has to be considered a priority in the offseason, both in free agency and in the draft. Much like how the Eagles restocked the cupboards with a pair of Day 2 DBs in the 2017 NFL Draft, 2019 may be an offensive line heavy draft class, in search of a homegrown star the likes of which Philly hasn’t selected since Chip Kelly picked Lane Johnson fourth overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. Names like Isiah Prince, Garrett Bradbury, and (OSU‘s) Michael Jordan come to mind as top-100 targets.
Additionally, the Eagles would be wise to pick up at least one offensive lineman in the lead up to the draft to ensure they don’t strike out on draft day. Some solid mid-level offensive lineman who could be had on value-conscious deals include Ramon Foster, Cedric Ogbuehi, Donovan Smith, and my personal favorite Matt Paradis.
But no matter how the Philadelphia Eagles choose to address left guard, right guard, and potentially center once the 2019 NFL calendar year begins in March, one thing is certain: Brandon Brooks will be sorely missed.
Next. If Kelce retires, Isaac Seumalo must step up his game. dark
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