The Philadelphia Eagles received great news on Thursday as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Lane Johnson will be returning for his 14th season.
The future Hall of Fame offensive lineman tweeted an image of himself running out onto Lincoln Financial Field with two emojis, including an Eagle, seemingly confirming that he’ll be back for another season.
This is great news for the Eagles and their fans, as there’s been uncertainty swirling around the offensive line over the last few weeks over who may or may not return. With Johnson back in the fold, Philadelphia doesn’t have to worry about finding a starter on the right side.
However, general manager Howie Roseman will likely still do homework on this year’s offensive tackles in free agency and the draft to see if he can find Johnson’s eventual replacement on the right side.
While the Eagles will start evaluating tackle prospects over the next several weeks, Philadelphia also has a couple of young offensive linemen in Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams, who could be in the mix to replace Johnson at right tackle.
Cameron Williams Gets More Time to Develop with Lane Johnson Return's
The Eagles took Hinton and Williams in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Both rookies saw playing time in the preseason and coincidentally started their NFL careers on injured reserve.
Williams was placed on IR with a shoulder injury in Week 1. However, Williams’ 21-day practice window opened on Dec. 11. The Eagles officially activated the 6-foot-6 offensive tackle from IR ahead of their Week 18 contest against the Washington Commanders, setting the stage for him to make his NFL debut.
Williams got his chance to see the field against the Commanders as he played 51 snaps at right tackle. According to Pro Football Focus, the young lineman held his own, posting a 69.8 pass blocking grade (36 snaps) and 65.6 run blocking grade (15).
Those aren’t bad grades for a player making his debut, and it's something that the new coaching staff can build off of going into 2026. Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, Emory Hunt of Football Gameplan had Williams ranked as his No. 2 offensive tackle, which is nothing to overlook.
Coming out of the University of Texas, Williams was lauded for his athleticism, footwork, and sound technique, all the things you want to see in a young offensive tackle.
Regardless of whether the Eagles address the offensive line or not in the NFL draft, the Eagles will want to see if Williams can take that next step. He will get another year behind Johnson to learn the tricks of the trade to be the next in line, or at least be a solid backup this season, which is just as important.