Dave Uram
Dave Uram is an update anchor and fill in host for SportsRadio 94 WIP. You can follow him on Twitter @MrUram.
This development was like waiting to see to the dentist; you don’t want to go and keep putting off the appointment. Eventually, that dreaded day of heading to the scary chair with all the needles and drills comes … whether you like it or not.
The only difference is that once your dental work is done – in most cases – it was a harmless procedure with no lingering effects. Now let’s compare that to the situation the Eagles now face with Lane Johnson formally being suspended for the next ten games. He’ll miss all but the remaining two regular season games, and who knows, he may miss all but one based on Week 16 being a Thursday night game. Basically, unless the Eagles are in playoff contention, the talented offensive lineman is essentially finished for 2016.
Now comes what might be an unpopular opinion based on the depth, or lack thereof, of the offensive line. But I think Howie Roseman and the Eagles should strongly consider trading Johnson.
Why, you ask? Isn’t it bad enough Carson Wentz needs to worry about the right side of the line for the next 10 games with rookie fifth-rounder Halapoulivaati Vatai?
Valid point. And the answer to that question is yes.
However, Johnson is one more mistake from a two-year suspension. If that happens, his career is over. Despite vouching to never take products, Johnson also noted to reporters about how other players use them as well. Can Johnson be trusted to avoid a third careless oversight?
Also, whether the 26-year-old can be trusted or not, the Eagles will need some sort of insurance just in case there’s another positive test. They’ll have to use a high draft pick next season for a tackle.
That’s wasting a prominent pick, very similar to selecting Nelson Agholor in 2015, who so far is a huge disappointment. If the Eagles (Chip Kelly) re-signed Jeremy Maclin and didn’t cut DeSean Jackson, there would be no need for the underperforming Agholor.
If Johnson wasn’t careless twice and at risk of flushing his career down the toilet with one more slip up, then Roseman and company wouldn’t need to replenish the tackle position for a second straight year. They already drafted Seumalo and Vatai this season.
So, while the talented Johnson still has value once he returns from his suspension, the Birds’ brass should strongly think about getting something for him while they still can.
Send him to a west coast team. Keep him away from the division. Would that be shipping away their best lineman with Pro Bowl potential? Yes. But, if a third suspension happens, there’s no Johnson, no Pro Bowl and no future with the former fourth overall pick.