‘It’s encouraging for me’: Eagles get newly minted All-Pro Lane Johnson back at practice
Johnson suffered a groin injury in the Eagles’ Week 16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and will try to play through the injury even though it will likely require surgery.
Lane Johnson returned to the practice field in earnest Friday and expects to be ready for the Eagles’ first playoff game next weekend.
Just before being named to his second All-Pro first team, the Eagles right tackle went through practice for the first time since suffering an adductor tear near his hip on Christmas Eve against the Dallas Cowboys.
In hopes of helping the Eagles fulfill their Super Bowl aspirations, Johnson decided to put off surgery and got the first real test of his pain tolerance during the Friday workout.
“Today, going out there and not feeling a whole lot of pain was good,” Johnson said. “It’s encouraging for me, it gives me a lot more confidence going into next week.
“The goal was just to keep testing and progressing it. I made a lot of progress this week. I’m looking to have a regular week next week and see how I feel.”
Johnson did rehabilitation work on a separate field from the team during Thursday’s practice but reassumed his spot with the first-team offensive line for the Eagles’ final practice of the week. During the early portion of practice open to the media, Johnson took part in individual drills, working on pass sets alongside starting right guard Isaac Seumalo.
The 32-year-old has been one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL for several seasons now; he’s gone 28 games without allowing a sack, according to Pro Football Focus. Johnson was named the league’s best right tackle on Friday, joining center Jason Kelce as the two Eagles named to the All-Pro first team.
Johnson said the recognition was meaningful because he is in the “back half” of his career, and noted the decision to play through the pain of the injury was largely because of the Eagles’ chance to make history this postseason.
“There’s a few times when you’re on a team that you know has a chance to win it all,” Johnson said. “I could see that throughout the season. The timing of the injury wasn’t great, but my whole reason for coming back was because I feel like we have a chance to be something special. That’s my reason.”
Johnson is no stranger to playing through pain. He dealt with a string of left ankle injuries that eventually required “tightrope” surgery to stabilize the area in 2020. He missed nine games that season.
Compared to the nagging ankle injuries, Johnson said, the adductor tendon tear is preferable.
“I’d rather have this than the ankle [stuff] that I had a couple years ago,” Johnson said. “This thing, once you get surgery, it’s an eight-week recovery time. ... As long as the pain tolerance is good, I didn’t feel too much today, I just want to progress into next week and be comfortable for Sunday. It’s part of the game.”
Johnson said noted core-muscle surgeon William Meyers will perform his operation once the Eagles’ season is finished. Meyers has performed surgeries for several Eagles players, including Kelce when he dealt with a similar injury in 2014.
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Jack Driscoll has filled in for Johnson the last two weeks and has been up and down. Driscoll struggled against New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, giving up two sacks and five pressures tracked by PFF.
Johnson said he plans to test his pain tolerance with an intense practice next Thursday by taking a few reps at game speed without taking any medication to help deal with potential discomfort.
“I just want to be able to go out there and be where I can help my team and not hurt my team,” he said.