Philadelphia Eagles: Keep monitoring Vikings LT Riley Reiff

The Philadelphia Eagles need to keep an eye on Vikings LT Riley Reiff.

One of the most stable things you could count upon over the last couple seasons when it came to the Philadelphia Eagles was their offensive line. Bolstered by a handful of potential future Hall of Famers, the team’s o-line group has consistently been one of the best in the league. However, following a pair of nasty season-ending injuries, and an overall lack of depth at the position, the group is starting to look quite questionable heading into 2020.

Former All-Pro RG Brandon Brooks is likely out for the season due to a ruptured Achilles, and projected starting LT Andre Dillard is officially on the IR with a torn biceps. Jason Peters (despite initially being re-signed to cover for Brooks at RG) was everyone’s initial guess as to who would replace Dillard at LT. However, after a prolonged money-demanding saga, the Eagles have run into a bit of an issue when it comes to Peters actually moving back to tackle.

The team’s experiment of running Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata turned into a disaster during Sunday morning’s practice, and the clock is ticking when it comes to solidifying Carson Wentz’ blind side protection. Week 1 is just a few weeks away at the point, and rookie edge rusher Chase Young is looking scarier and scarier by the day.

The current free agent pool isn’t looking too hot when it comes to left tackles, but a surprise cut could end up helping the Philadelphia Eagles out. The Minnesota Vikings and their starting LT Riley Reiff seem destined for a divorce, and Howie Roseman should be blowing up the veteran’s phone should his release occur.

Reiff is an eight year starter in the NFL, spending time with both the Detroit Lions and the previously mentioned Vikings. He’s started in 112 total games during his career, and has performed at a pretty high level during said time. He was awarded a five-year/$58 million contract during free agent by the Vikings back in 2017, really showing just how well he’s performed.

However, due to the Vikings having a bit too many mouths to feed moving forward in terms of contract extensions (Dalvin Cook, Yannick Ngakoue), the team’s front office has reportedly asked Reiff to take a pay cut to his $13.95 million salary. This has obviously rubbed Reiff the wrong way, and he’s been quoted telling his teammates that he expects to be outright released in the coming days.

This is where the Philadelphia Eagles could come into play.

Reiff was the Lions first-round pick back in 2012, when current Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was still the head coach in Detroit. Obviously Schwartz liked what he saw in Reiff at the time, and could serve as an easy point of contact between the veteran tackle and Howie Roseman.

The Philadelphia Eagles need to figure out their left tackle position ASAP, and unless they bend on their Jason Peters stance, turning to the free agent market might just be their best overall option. The current free argents aren’t too enticing, but if Reiff does in fact get released, he would be well worth a contract offer.