Jason Kelce took a bit of time this offseason before deciding he wanted to continue his career. The Philadelphia Eagles have their All-Pro center back in place, but they will be without him for the time being.
The veteran snapper will undergo elbow surgery, Tim McManus of ESPN.com tweets. While a surgery occurring this close to the regular season would seem to put Kelce’s Week 1 availability in jeopardy, McManus adds it is realistic the 12th-year blocker will be ready for the Eagles’ opener. That said, Kelce is currently without a timetable.
This being described as a routine cleanup-type procedure should be good news for Eagles fans, as should Kelce’s run of availability. The likely Hall of Fame candidate has not missed a game since the 2014 season.
Kelce, 34, obviously served as a critical cog in the Eagles’ 2021 turnaround, a stretch in which the team pivoted to a run-oriented attack and mounted a playoff push. The Eagles led the NFL in rushing in Nick Sirianni’s first season. They did this without guards Isaac Seumalo or Brandon Brooks being healthy. Lane Johnson also missed four games in 2021, with Jordan Mailata being sidelined for three. Kelce’s durability over the years has certainly helped an otherwise injury-prone Eagles offensive line. Kelce has been the NFL’s First-Team All-Pro center in four of the past five seasons.
More must-reads: