Philadelphia Eagles: Isaac Seumalo gets the first crack at right guard

Normally, when a team loses an All-Pro performer, it’s a tough pill to swallow. Normally replacing said player is priority number one heading into free agency, or at least the draft, and failing to do so could serve as a massive dark cloud over the entire offseason.

And yet, Brandon Brooks retired from the Philadelphia Eagles back in January, and it’s barely been a point of discussion among the fanbase.

But why? Could it be because Brooks only played two games over the past two seasons, both of which came in 2021? Or because the Birds have the best offensive line coach in the NFL, and he’s routinely coaxed quality performances out of UDFAs of various sizes and athletic profiles?

Either way, the Eagles only added one marquee offensive lineman over the past three months, and the player in question, Cam Jurgens, is more of a center than a right guard.

So what gives? Why did the Philadelphia Eagles, and by extension, their fans, show such little urgency to replace Brandon Brooks with another top-tier offensive guard? Probably because the team felt confident in their current depth, including Isaac Seumlao, who will reportedly get the first crack at replacing Brooks on the right side this summer.

Don’t count out Isaac Seumalo just yet, Philadelphia Eagles fans.

For about a week, discussions over whether or not Isaac Seumalo would see his career with the Philadelphia Eagles end with a post-June 1st release was the talk of the town.

On paper, the thought process went a little something like this: Seumalo could free up $5.65 million in cap space if he was released with a June-1st distinction, and between the addition of Cam Jurgens and the return of Jack Driscoll, that saving may be worth it.

Now granted, I personally never thought that was the play; if the plan was always to release Seumalo, why waive Nate Herbig a few weeks earlier? I get the Eagles’ depth is very good, but that’s just asking for trouble.

Fast forward to the opening of Philly’s OTAs, and unsurprisingly, it was Seumalo, not Driscoll, Jurgens, or Herbig – obviously – earning first team reps at right guard.

Theoretically, this decision makes sense; Seumalo played right guard for nine of his 37 games in college at Oregon State, and as the team’s third-most tenured offensive lineman, giving him the first shot at the spot makes a ton of sense. Even if his status as one of the ten highest-paid players on the Eagles probably isn’t warranted, his on-field experience, having played 64 games in a midnight green uniform with 43 starts, could prove invaluable heading into the season.

And hey, if, say, Driscoll shows out and proves he should be the guy for the next half decade at right guard, well, Seumalo could always serve as a $5.65 million-ish trade chip from which to secure even further assets moving forward. All-in-all, not too shabby.

In the NFL, teams can’t keep everyone. Some worthy players, even fan favorites, find themselves cap casualties for no reason other than their contract, and others still will earn a longer look than they maybe deserve because of how much guaranteed money is left on the books. With that being said, Isaac Seumalo is too versatile, too experienced, and too much of an asset to be moved off of unless something of similar value comes back in return. I mean come on; he could be the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 starter at right guard.