Philadelphia Eagles: Jack Driscoll has a chance to prove he belongs

The Philadelphia Eagles need Jack Driscoll to step up in a most major way.

When news broke that Lane Johnson would miss the remainder of the regular season with an ankle injury, it felt like just another blow to the Philadelphia Eagles‘ playoff chances.

Sure, Johnson hasn’t exactly been Lane Johnson this season, in most part because of an ankle injury he’s suffered through since camp, but through the first 11 games of the season, he’s only allowed two sacks, three pressures, and a pair of penalties in 404 total offensive snaps.

While some may now openly wonder why the Eagles kept trotting the 30-year-old Oklahoma product out onto the field week after week when he clearly could have used a few weeks off to get his body right, that’s no longer an issue. By suffering further ankle aggravation against the Cleveland Browns, his season is all but over, and the team needs to look ahead to a future without (un)arguably their second-best offensive lineman.

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But fortunately, Howie Roseman saw this one coming and actually landed a very intriguing swing lineman in the draft to who now has a chance to shine: Jack Driscoll.

For those out of the know, Driscoll was selected 145th over in the 2020 NFL Draft, using the pick awarded to the team by letting Golden Tate walk in free agency. Through the first 11 games of the season, Driscoll has appeared in eight games with two starts while playing 168 total offensive snaps on the right side.

Has Driscoll always been perfect? No, he’s given up up the same number of penalties and one more sack than Johnson on 236 fewer offensive snaps, but for the most part, Driscoll has shown a battle and resolve that bodes well with a long career playing right tackle at the game’s highest level.

Could Driscoll eventually supplant Johnson on the right side in a move that would kick the former fourth overall pick to his rightful spot on the left side? Most definitely, but that certainly won’t happen if Driscoll can’t hang over the next six games.

Assuming Driscoll gets the start at right tackle moving forward – beating out Matt Pryor like he did in Week 1 for the honor – the 23-year-old will have ample opportunities to test his mettle against a slew of plus edge rushers from Za’Darius Smith and Cameron Jordan to NFC East foes like DeMarcus Lawrence and Chase Young. If he can survive that murderers’ row of edge rushers, the Eagles might really have something.

Fortunately, if Driscoll does win the job, he’ll likely have Jason Peters lining up next to him for the foreseeable future – assuming, of course, he remains healthy and playable for the rest of the season.

For all of the hate Peters has received for his declining play and unwillingness to return to left tackle without a sizeable pay bump, he’s still one of the best tackles to ever suit up in an Eagles – or any NFL – jersey and could provide the ex-Auburn/UMass product with a wealth of information to rely on.

If Peters’ knowledge can help turn Driscoll into a viable, starting NFL tackle, I think many a fan will set their ill-feeling aside and remember the good old days from 2009-16.

Fun fact: Did you know Jack Driscoll is also the name of a character in the King Kong franchise? I wonder if his parents knew that when he was born?

Next. Doug Pederson needs to watch Antonio Gibson’s tape. dark

When a team’s franchise right tackle – the highest-paid right tackle in the business – undergoes season-ending knee surgery, it’s never a good thing (obviously). With that being said, the Philadelphia Eagles are not a particularly good team, and if they do somehow make the playoffs, it’ll likely result in one of the ugliest Wildcard Round bouts imaginable. If the team can use these last six games to play young players like Jack Driscoll and see if they can be long-term pieces moving forward, at least the suffering of Philly’s faithful won’t completely be in vain.

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