Eagles Veteran Wonders 'What If?'

Lane Johnson has thought about how different his career may have turned out if another team had taken him before the Eagles did in the 2013 draft. Three teams had a chance to take a player who turned out to be one of the very best in that class - the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins did the Eagles a favor. Chip Kelly, who Philly had just hired earlier that year, was going to pound the table for Dion Jordan, a defensive edge rusher he had coached at the University of Oregon. Miami knew that so it traded ahead of the Eagles and took him.

Jordan played six years and 63 games with four different teams. Though he had 13.5 sacks, he was nowhere near the player Johnson became.

The first two players taken were offensive tackles. The Chiefs took Eric Fisher first overall, and he made two Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with Kansas City, but his career was over after eight seasons. The Jaguars selected Luke Joeckel who made 50 starts in five years with two teams before calling it a career.

So, Johnson fell in the Eagles’ laps, where he was united with Jeff Stoutland, who was about to embark on his own journey toward being one of the best line coaches in the NFL. And the duo is still together, as Johnson readies for his 13th NFL season. He is crafting a Pro Football Hall of Fame resume with four All-Pro honors – two first-team, two second-team – six Pro Bowls, and two Super Bowl championships.

“I thought about what would have happened if I went to Miami,” he said. “Kansas City wouldn’t have been bad. Jacksonville. …Very fortunate to land here. I think the passion of the city and the intensity and how they focus so much on sport, it allows that whatever pressure they put on you, it allows you to be the best player you can be. It’s something you really appreciate over time.”

Johnson, who was a tight end when he arrived at the University of Oklahoma, also doesn’t believe he would have become the annual Pro Bowler and All-Pro player he is without Stoutland.

“I didn’t play that long at the (tackle) position, so I didn’t have a lot of negative traits, but I always felt he’s a great motivator,” said Johnson. “He knows what to say, when to say it. He’s very good at reading the room and knowing how to get the best of everybody and to get everybody to work together and play hard for each other, and it’s a lot of fun doing it. I look forward to coming to work every day and grinding out.”