Appeal Date Set For Eagles’ Lane Johnson
Finally, Lane Johnson has a date for his appeal. The Eagles tackle will have his case heard on October 4th, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the interim, Johnson will play on Sunday against the Steelers. Then, the Eagles have Week 4 bye. 
If Johnson’s suspension is upheld, he will be suspended for ten games, starting with the Oct. 9 contest against the Lions. Then, Johnson would be left with the final three games of the season: Dec. 18 against the Ravens, Dec. 22 against the Giants, and Jan. 1 versus the Cowboys.
Johnson tested positive for PEDs in August but he claims that he took a tainted amino acid. Johnson’s reps were hoping that the B sample on this most recent test would show something different than the A sample, but he learned before Monday night’s game that they matched up. The 26-year-old was already suspended four games for PEDs in 2014, so he is facing a much stiffer punishment this time around.
It’s not immediately clear how the Eagles would change up their offensive line if they’re without Johnson for an extended period of time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Wentz, Johnson, Palmer, Giants
Further illustrating the Eagles‘ belief in Carson Wentz and their motivation to make the seminal trade with the Browns in April, new Philadelphia OC Frank Reich offered some high-end comparisons for the No. 2 overall pick.
“Physically, he reminds me a little bit of a combination of Andrew Luck — though, I’ve never played with him — just watching him play, but a guy that I did play with in Jim Kelly, the size, strength and just the toughness,” Reich said, via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com.
Wentz ran a tenth of a second slower in the 40-yard dash compared to Luck coming out of college (4.77 seconds to 4.67), but the quarterbacks are similar in size — both 6-foot-5 and around 235 pounds. The younger player will attempt to build on his breakthrough debut, one executed despite scant preseason reps and the anticipation he’d be the third-string passer.
Here’s more on Wentz’s potential rise and on some other NFC teams.
- The Eagles trading Sam Bradford to the Vikings opened the door not only for Wentz to receive an early start on Sundays, but it cleared a path toward endless practice reps instead of a short-term future as Philly’s third-stringer, Jeff McLane of Philly.com writes. Reich told media, including McLane, there was “no question” the additional practice work would accelerate Wentz’s development compared to a season spent behind Bradford and Chase Daniel. Per McLane, Wentz did not speak up much in quarterback meetings while he was the No. 3 quarterback, instead deferring to the veterans. Daniel functions as the scout-team quarterback, and the meetings are geared around a Wentz-conducted offense.
- Doug Pederson expected to hear something on Lane Johnson‘s lingering suspension by now, Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com notes, but the league has yet to announce the expected 10-game ban. “You would think you would have heard something by now,” Pederson said. “If it does happen down the road, it just pushes everything back. Me personally, I’d rather know now than later. But until then, [Johnson] is the guy.” Pederson said Stefen Wisniewski would play left guard after current starter Allen Barbre swings to right tackle in the event Johnson’s ruling comes down. Wisniewski usurped Isaac Seumalo as the next guard up since the Eagles initially announced their Johnson contingency plan.
- Earlier today, a potential Panthers plot to select Blaine Gabbert No. 1 overall emerged in advance of Sunday’s Panthers-49ers game. The Buccaneers‘ Week 2 opponent, the Cardinals, also employ a quarterback who will face a team that pursued him years ago. The Bucs attempted to trade for Palmer in 2013, but refusing to push then-starter Josh Freeman to a backup role did not make it an enticing fit for the then-Raiders quarterback as he looked for a team and a long-term deal, Tom Jones of the Tampa Bay Times writes, analyzing what could have been in advance of Sunday’s tilt. The Bucs joined the Cardinals and Bills in making a push for a then-33-year-old Palmer’s services. Then-Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano wasn’t enamored with Freeman, but the organization did not want to give up on the former first-round pick by automatically making Palmer a starter. Freeman lasted just three games into the ’13 season before being released.
- The Giants worked out four linebackers on Saturday after cutting Deontae Skinner from their practice squad. Cassanova McKinzy, Deiontrez Mount, Eric Pinkins and Myke Tavarres worked out for the team, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.
Eagles Notes: Johnson, Wentz, Fullbacks
The Eagles are entering their Week 1 matchup with the Browns in an interesting position on their offensive line. Since the NFL has yet to announce the expected suspension for Lane Johnson, the team shelved a plan that included an alternate route at right tackle and will instead start Johnson on Sunday, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“Getting ready to play, man,” Johnson told media after Friday’s practice. “I didn’t think this day would come. This has been the biggest mental hurdle of my career.”
Johnson faces a 10-game suspension after his A sample tested positive for a banned substance. The delay for the league appears to stem from the results of his B sample not being retrieved. The fourth-year tackle intends to appeal any suspension, and with that process taking as many as several weeks, he may be available longer than expected this season. However, the loss of an appeal could sideline Johnson during more second-half games than anticipated since the ban won’t be starting Week 1 as he anticipated.
Here’s the latest coming out of Philly.
- Hours before the Eagles’ third preseason game, wide receiver Jordan Matthews told Howie Roseman that Carson Wentz was ready to see play now instead of being a quarterback-in-waiting, Zach Berman of the Inquirer reports. The rookie was then relegated to personal throwing sessions while recovering from injury, and while the third-year pass-catcher’s statement probably wouldn’t have proved as significant for the purposes of Week 1 had Teddy Bridgewater not gone down, the comment looks somewhat prescient now that Wentz is the starter and Sam Bradford‘s in Minnesota.
- Some in the Eagles’ organization are surprised by the Browns’ comments regarding Wentz, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Paul DePodesta recently revealed the Browns’ brass did not consider the North Dakota State product a potential top-20 NFL quarterback, and young defenders Carl Nassib and Ibraheim Campbell respectively called Wentz’s delivery and inexperience into question this week after it became known he would start the season for the Eagles. Wentz had read DePodesta’s comments before he was named the Eagles’ starter, Cabot writes.
- It doesn’t look like Doug Pederson‘s offense will be housing a pure fullback for a while, Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. The team cut potential options Ryan Mueller and Chris Pantale. Many teams obviously go without pure fullbacks in today’s NFL, but the Andy Reid– and Pederson-run Chiefs employed one in Anthony Sherman during the three seasons that duo coordinated Kansas City’s attack. The Eagles have Andrew Bonnet on their practice squad and could use third tight end Trey Burton there, per new OC Frank Reich.
- Earlier today, former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook said some Philadelphia veterans aren’t on board with the Bradford trade.
Latest On Lane Johnson
Eagles tackle Lane Johnson will start Week 1 if his suspension has not started yet, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters today, including Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com (Twitter link). There had been some thought that Philadelphia would hold Johnson out even if his ban hadn’t been announced, but that apparently will not happen.
Johnson is facing a 10-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy, but even though the ban was reported weeks ago, the NFL still hasn’t made the suspension official. Meanwhile, Johnson has said that he’ll appeal any suspension that is announced, so it’s possible that he’d be able to play Week 1 while the appeal process was underway.
If the Eagles are without Johnson for more than half the season, it would be a crushing blow to their O-Line and offense as a whole. Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2013, has been a starter for the Eagles since the team drafted him out of Oklahoma, playing primarily at right tackle before spending some time at left tackle in 2015. In his three years with the Eagles, he has only missed four games due to his aforementioned PED suspension. This past season, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Eagles’ Lane Johnson
Facing a 10-game ban for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson declared last week that he would appeal any suspension. Johnson backed off that statement to a degree Wednesday, according to Martin Frank of The News-Journal, saying that he’ll do “whatever is best for the team.”
The reason Johnson seems less adamant about an appeal is because it could simply delay the inevitable of a suspension. In the event Johnson challenges the league’s decision and plays while awaiting an appeal hearing, it would open him up to miss games later in the season if the punishment is upheld. A suspension beginning in Week 1 would keep Johnson out until Nov. 28, meaning the Eagles could get him back for a playoff push – if they’re still in the race, that is.
Further, Johnson doesn’t expect to win an appeal, conceding, “Even if you prove it (was tainted), there’s nothing you can do.”
Johnson has already admitted to taking the substance that caused the positive test (a league-approved amino acid, the 317-pounder says), so the “B sample” he and the league are awaiting likely won’t bring good news for him.
While Johnson seems resigned to the idea that he’ll have to serve a suspension, he vowed Wednesday to take legal action against the company that he claims provided him with a tainted amino acid.
“Going after them,” said the 26-year-old (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). “I have people on it to get it done.”
Thanks to this incident, Johnson’s done taking supplements.
“Food and water. That’s all I’m going to put in my system,” stated Johnson. “Food and water. No supplements, no powders, nothing.”
Johnson, who previously served a suspension two years ago for using Adderrall without the league’s permission, isn’t in position to take a chance with anything that could potentially lead to another ban. If his current suspension is upheld and he’s hit with a third one down the line, it would bar him from football for two years. And there’s no guarantee a team would want him on the heels of a third suspension.
For the Eagles, having to go without Johnson for most of this year would be a significant blow. Since going fourth overall out of Oklahoma in the 2013 draft, Johnson has started in each of his 44 career appearances, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him 22nd among 77 qualified tackles in overall performance last season. In January, Philadelphia gave Johnson a hefty extension that’s set to run through 2021. Barring an unforeseen development, Allen Barbre is likely to be the Eagles’ Week 1 starter at right tackle, as their depth chart shows.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lane Johnson Will Appeal Any Suspension
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who is expected to be suspended 10 games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, says he will appeal the suspension when it is finally handed out, as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes. Johnson has previously indicated that he took a league-approved amino acid but tested positive for peptide. In addition to fighting the suspension, he has also said that he will take action against the manufacturer of the substance.
As Shorr-Parks reports, the league is expected to levy the suspension sometime around the start of Week 1. That time frame, along with Johnson’s plan to appeal the suspension, could create some difficult decisions for first-year head coach Doug Pederson. Since news of Johnson’s failed test was made public, the Eagles have been practicing with Johnson on the second-string offense, not with the starters, and in the team’s preseason contest against Pittsburgh on Thursday night, Johnson played with the backups while Allen Barbre started at tackle.
But if Johnson is eligible to play the first week or two of the regular season, either because the suspension has not yet been handed down or because it has been levied and Johnson has appealed it, will Pederson keep him in the lineup? Or will he preemptively replace Johnson in an effort to begin creating continuity among the group of linemen that will be playing together in Johnson’s absence? Those are questions that should be answered in the next couple of weeks.
Losing Johnson for any period of time, of course, would be a major blow to the Eagles. He has started in each of his 44 career appearances, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the 6-foot-6, 317-pounder 22nd among 77 qualified tackles in overall performance last season. In January, Philadelphia rewarded him with a hefty extension through 2021.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Rumors: Johnson, Wentz, Dolphins
Lane Johnson became embroiled in a debate with the NFLPA regarding the nature of the 10-game suspension he faces. But the Eagles‘ fourth-year right tackle expects that ban to stick regardless, Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com reports, and be out until November.
The recently extended lineman, who previously tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2014, claimed he was taking an amino acid he purchased online and the app the NFLPA provides for players to gauge whether or not a supplement will result in a positive drug test informed him he was in the clear. Standing to see the guarantees in his $56MM+ contract void if he’s suspended for a second time, Johnson asserted the NFLPA isn’t fully behind its constituents regarding this issue.
“I want that to be clear that the NFLPA does not stand up for players. They don’t check the supplements,” said Johnson, who added the Eagles probably wouldn’t test the supplement if he brought it to them for financial reasons. “They give us an app, and then when you call them and ask them if you test positive for something they approve, it doesn’t matter.”
NFLPA spokesman George Atallah denied Johnson was approved to take the supplement. The Aegis Shield app, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk points out, isn’t a surefire safety precaution due to supplements at times containing substances not included on the product’s label.
“We always stand up for the rights of our players,” Atallah said in a statement. “Mr. Johnson’s statements are factually inaccurate and we have been in touch with both Lane and his agent, who now understand the facts. The NFLPA does not approve any supplements or substances.”
The Eagles appear set to lose their right tackle for much of 2016 while also could be without their rookie quarterback until the regular season starts.
- Carson Wentz suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs during Philadelphia’s preseason opener and could miss the rest of the preseason, Zach Berman of Philly.com reports. The No. 2 overall pick sustained the injury on the second-to-last play of his debut outing, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter).
- Dolphins coaches have viewed Dallas Thomas‘ training camp work as superior to Laremy Tunsil‘s, hence the veteran receiving the call to start on Friday night in the team’s preseason opener, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. A fourth-year Fins guard, Thomas started every game last season. But Jackson writes the Dolphins shouldn’t be withholding first-team reps from Tunsil since he’s likely going to get the call there once the regular season begins.
- Miami’s brass told free agents they intended to use Cameron Wake as a pass-rush specialist this season, Jackson reports. Despite signing the 34-year-old defensive end to an extension, Wake could be set for an off-the-bench role. Dolphins staffer Nat Moore expects Jason Jones to start alongside Mario Williams. Wake is coming off a torn Achilles that resulted in him playing just seven games in 2015, the first season of Wake’s NFL career featuring fewer than 14 appearances. Wake’s started 85 of the 100 Dolphins contests he’s suited up for, including every such appearance since 2012.
- Check out the details of Tyrod Taylor‘s complex extension with the Bills.
- Patriots president Jonathan Kraft provided some detailed reasoning for why the team traded Chandler Jones.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Rams, Foles, Vikings
The Eagles are making plans to find a replacement for right tackle Lane Johnson if his potential 10-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs becomes a reality, head coach Doug Pederson said after the team’s Thursday preseason opener. “It may be somebody that hasn’t played there this spring or this summer,” Pederson told Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It could be a guy who has already been there. We’ve got time to figure this out.”
Among the Eagles’ in-house options are Dennis Kelly and Matt Tobin – as Roster Resource shows – but Pederson isn’t overly enthusiastic about either faring well as a starter, per Hayes. Regardless, Pederson doesn’t expect to add anyone from outside the organization. “We’ve got the bodies,” he stated.
Johnson would be extremely difficult to replace, of course, having started in each of his 44 career appearances. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked the 6-foot-6, 317-pounder 22nd among 77 qualified tackles in overall performance last season, and the Eagles subsequently awarded him a hefty extension through 2021.
More from the NFC:
- When he was a member of the Rams in 2015, quarterback Nick Foles‘ need for “extra coddling” and “a lot of back-patting” became an annoyance to their staff, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). Given both that and Foles’ bottom-of-the-barrel performance last season, the Rams released the 27-year-old in July, but only after paying him a $6MM roster bonus in March and then failing to find a taker via trade. Foles ended up signing with Kansas City as a free agent.
- The Vikings have 60 percent of their starting offensive line in place with left tackle Matt Kalil, left guard Alex Boone and right tackle Andre Smith, but there’s uncertainty at center and right guard, writes Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune. The mystery illness that has sidelined Mike Harris, who started all of the Vikings’ games at right guard last season, has subtracted one option in training camp, leaving Brandon Fusco and John Sullivan to take reps there. Sullivan slid from center, where he’s competing with 2015 No. 1 Joe Berger for a starting role, to right guard Thursday as a result of an injury to Fusco, notes Vensel. If Sullivan – who missed all of last season with a back injury – wins the center job, Berger could theoretically beat out Fusco at guard, Vensel writes. It’s worth mentioning that Berger was PFF’s second-ranked center in 2015, when he graded as the best run blocker at his position.
- Former Oakland middle linebacker Miles Burris recently worked out for the Seahawks, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). A fourth-round pick from San Diego State in 2012, Burris has logged 38 appearances and 31 starts in the NFL. The last time Burris saw action in the league, 2014, he started all 16 of the Raiders’ games and totaled 110 tackles.
- The Falcons are working out free agent quarterback Seth Lobato, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Since going undrafted out of Northern Colorado in 2014, Lobato has spent time with Indianapolis, Miami and Tampa Bay, but he hasn’t appeared in an NFL game.
- In news that came as no surprise, the Cowboys revealed earlier Friday that they have no interest in free agent quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Eagles’ Johnson Facing 10-Game Suspension
1:48pm: After denying the report, Johnson now admits that he has a ten-game suspension looming. The tackle told Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link) that he took an amino acid that was approved but tested positive for peptide. He is fighting the suspension and also indicated that he will take action against the company.
While players are responsible for what goes in their bodies regardless of intent, Johnson insists the supplement was approved and will fight the suspension. He’s also waiting on the B sample to see if the results are the same.
1:17pm: Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson is facing a ten-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances, a source informed of the situation tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport hears that Johnson is currently appealing the suspension.
For what it’s worth, Johnson denies that a PED suspension is looming (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). Via text, Johnson told McLane “all was good” in reference to the rumored ban. Johnson was suspended for PEDs during the 2014 season.
If the Eagles are without Johnson for more than half the season, it would be a crushing blow to their O-Line and offense as a whole. Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2013, has been a starter for the Eagles since the team drafted him out of Oklahoma, playing primarily at right tackle before spending some time at left tackle in 2015. In his three years with the Eagles, he has only missed four games due to his aforementioned PED suspension. This past season, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position.
In January, the Eagles locked Johnson up through 2021 on a deal that will pay him $56MM+ in his five additional contract seasons. Peters’ $9.575MM average places him tenth among left tackles in the NFL, behind Trent Williams (Redskins), Terron Armstead (Saints), Tyron Smith (Cowboys), Eric Fisher (Chiefs), Cordy Glenn (Bills), Joe Thomas (Browns), Anthony Castonzo (Colts), Russell Okung (Broncos), and Nate Solder (Patriots). According to the terms of Johnson’s deal, a ten-game suspension would void the guaranteed cash in his extension, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: L. Johnson, Patriots, Bills, Cowboys
Although perennial Pro Bowler Jason Peters currently mans left tackle in Philadelphia, the Eagles‘ extension of Lane Johnson indicates that the club clearly views him at its left tackle of the future. Johnson’s new deal, which locks him up through 2021, makes him the highest-paid right tackle in the league, and would put on him par with the most well-compensated left tackles, as well. For his part, Johnson agrees that his time on the blindside will come eventually.
“I think that’s what they drafted me for,” Johnson tells Zach Berman of Philly.com. “Obviously, Jason Peters is probably the best tackle of all time. One of them. Him and Walter Jones, in my opinion. Having him here, he’s taught me so much. I’m going to continue to [play right tackle] until that time comes.”
Here’s more from the NFL’s East divisions:
- The Patriots‘ offensive struggles were on full display during the AFC Championship Game, and the club will have some work to do to improve the unit in 2016. But one lineman who is unlikely to be retained is swing tackle Marcus Cannon, whom Matt Dolloff of CBS Boston believes will be a salary cap casualty. Releasing Cannon would save New England about $3.69MM (the Patriots currently project to have only ~$4MM in 2016 cap space).
- If the Patriots opt to make outside additions to its offensive line, someone like Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz will probably be outside of their comfort level financially. But Chiefs free agent Jeff Allen would be more affordable, and as Dolloff notes, Allen’s ability to play both guard and tackle could be intriguing to Bill Belichick.
- Free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham clearly won’t be a priority for the Bills as they seek to re-sign Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who predicts that Bradham won’t return to Buffalo if he asks for $4-5MM annually. One potential replacement could be Jets linebacker Demario Davis, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, who says Buffalo could circle back to Davis after the first wave of free agency.
- While reports have indicated that Johnny Manziel — who is in the news again for an off-field incident — would like to play for the Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com doesn’t think it would be a good move. Returning to the state where he is the biggest celebrity would not be a positive for the 23-year-old, opines Archer.