Eagles All-Pro RT eyeing divisional-round return

The Eagles will have the luxury of watching the NFC’s wild-card matchups this weekend as a result of their success in clinching the conference’s No. 1 seed in Week 18. Their bye week will allow a key member of their offense to continue healing, potentially in time for a return next week.

Right tackle Lane Johnson has progressed during rehab from his adductor injury to the point where he expects to play in Philadelphia’s divisional-round matchup. That news comes as little surprise given his decision to put off surgery – something that would have left him sidelined until the 2023 campaign – but it is nevertheless a significant development for the Super Bowl contenders.

The 32-year-old suffered the injury in Week 16 and has been pushing to rehab it ever since. Doing so will primarily be a matter of pain management, something that will only truly be tested during full-contact drills next week. Encouragingly, though, Johnson was able to return to the practice field on Friday for the first time since going down. His remarks suggest he will be able to suit up if everything goes according to plan in the coming days.

“Excited about today being back out there practicing,” he said, via NBC Sports’ Reuben Frank. “Felt good. The goal was to keep testing it and progressing. Made a lot of progress this week and trying to have a regular week next week and see how I feel.”

Johnson was named a First-Team All-Pro for the second time in his career Friday, adding further to his individual accolades and underscoring his importance to the Eagles offense. The four-time Pro Bowler confirmed his continued status as one of the league’s top tackles by generating a sterling PFF grade of 89.8 in pass protection, making him an integral part of the Eagles’ highly efficient attack. In his place, the team turned to Jack Driscoll at right tackle, but the preference would obviously be a return from Johnson at anywhere near 100%.

Philadelphia enjoyed the return of quarterback Jalen Hurts last week; the same is true of defenders C.J. Gardner-Johnson and defensive end Robert Quinn after they were activated from IR. Assuming Johnson will be able to play for the postseason, the Eagles could be well-positioned to live up to the potential they showed over the course of a hugely successful regular season.

“The timing of the injury wasn’t great,” Johnson added, “but the only reason I’m coming back is because I think we have a chance to be something special. That’s my reason.”