Lane Johnson is among the Eagles stars on track to return Sunday. His fourth concussion came with perspective.

Two years ago this month, Lane Johnson, having cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol following his third known concussion in his 10th NFL season, said this about the long-term concerns of the head injuries that are so often associated with the sport he excels in:

“I had three, Brett Favre had about 38,” Johnson said in 2022. “So I think I’ll be OK.”

This wasn’t the phrasing of an ignorant meathead. It was an All-Pro lineman who understands that the deal he signed with a pen also is one he signed with his body. Johnson in 2022 advocated for ex-players whose lives have been impacted by repeated blows to the brain — “the ones suffering the most,” Johnson said — and how they needed voices. His body has been through hell, and he knows what might be waiting for him down the road.

Johnson suffered his fourth diagnosed concussion on Sept. 22, and two days later, Favre revealed he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The Eagles’ star right tackle is back practicing this week after the bye. And just like he did in 2022, he offered some post-concussion perspective Wednesday on his road back and the things he blocks out on Sundays but has become proactive about addressing. He heard about Favre’s diagnosis, the same way he heard years ago that Brian Dawkins once contemplated suicide.

“It does scare you,” Johnson said Wednesday.

His own concussions and recent high-profile NFL head injuries have forced Johnson to think about what it all means.

“I’m very wary of concussions and contact in football,” he said.

Over the last few years, Johnson has talked with retired players about things they do for brain healing. He has experimented with hyperbaric chambers, which studies have shown can aid in healing the brain after traumatic injuries. Some players have them at their homes, Johnson said, and the Eagles have one at the NovaCare Complex. He wears a helmet that has a high safety grade.

One of the players Johnson has talked to about head injuries is Jason Kelce, who mentioned on social media earlier this year that he “can virtually guarantee that I have CTE.” It’s a topic that’s on a lot of players’ minds, Johnson said. “At the same time, that’s the price of the game,” he said.

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That Johnson was having this conversation Wednesday was good news for the Eagles because it meant he was out of the concussion protocol. Johnson is on track to return to the lineup Sunday vs. Cleveland, and the Eagles likely will have star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as well. Brown hasn’t played since the opener in Brazil with a hamstring injury. Smith also was concussed the day Johnson was in New Orleans.

The Eagles offense struggled during the Week 4 loss in Tampa and hasn’t looked all that potent outside of Saquon Barkley in the three games Brown has missed. The Eagles are minus-6 in turnover differential. They have scored just 17.3 points per game over their last three. There was a lot to dive into during the bye week, particularly slow starts and turnovers. But there may be no remedy quite like getting healthy.

“We got our players back now,” Johnson said. “It’s about getting on the ball, pushing tempo when we need to, and scoring points.

“We had some flashes of what we could do against Green Bay. We had our moments. Now, as we continue the season, we want to reach our potential.”

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Waiting for the Eagles out of their bye week is a 1-4 Cleveland team that is getting league-worst play from quarterback Deshaun Watson and a defense that hasn’t lived up to its billing. Still, Johnson’s first game back after his concussion comes with Myles Garrett, one of the NFL’s best defensive players, lining up on the other side. Johnson said Garrett has the size of Julius Peppers but moves like Micah Parsons and Von Miller.

“I haven’t really seen anybody that could do that at that size,” Johnson said. “That’s why he’s so special.”

Neither Smith or Brown spoke with reporters Wednesday. Smith hadn’t yet cleared the protocol, though he later was a full participant in practice, and Brown said he would talk Thursday or Friday.

Johnson traveled with the team to Tampa and appeared close to playing. He said he ultimately was cleared by doctors the day before the game but hadn’t participated in a full-contact practice and didn’t clear the league’s protocol.

There was some caution, too, Johnson said, that this latest concussion was his fourth. It came via friendly fire. Johnson had blocked the Saints’ Carl Granderson, but as he started to get up, Barkley had lowered his helmet and collided with Johnson’s.

The protocols and technologies, Johnson said, are a lot better now than they were when he entered the league in 2013.

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“Instead of having something that may linger for the rest of the season, I think I handled it correctly,” Johnson said. “Obviously, I don’t like to miss games, but thinking about long-term, and even this season, if I would’ve went out there and something would’ve happened, you’d be out for an extended period of time.”

The Eagles, of course, can’t afford that. They fell to 11-23 all-time without Johnson in the lineup. And Johnson, whose body has taken a beating, probably could not have afforded another head injury so close to his last, both for the present and the future.

“I feel good this week,” Johnson said. “I obviously had an off week to recover.”