Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson suffered a Lisfranc sprain in his foot that could sideline him for 4-6 weeks, a team source confirmed to The Athletic on Monday.
Johnson exited with an injury in the first quarter Sunday night in the Eagles’ 16-9 win against the Detroit Lions. He did not return.
It was the second straight week Johnson suffered an in-game injury. Against the Green Bay Packers on “Monday Night Football” the week prior, Johnson missed nearly two quarters of action with an ankle injury before returning to the field late in the fourth quarter.
A Lisfranc injury occurs in the midfoot due to bone fractures and/or torn ligaments. Recovery depends on the severity of the damage, with some milder cases able to heal on their own in a month or two if immobilized and rehabbed properly. More serious Lisfranc injuries require surgery.
The Eagles’ upcoming schedule includes a road game against the Dallas Cowboys, a Black Friday home matchup against the Chicago Bears, a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers and a home matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
No downplaying significance of Lane Johnson’s absence
Look for Fred Johnson to start in Lane Johnson’s absence. Fred Johnson, 28, was a key reserve on the Eagles’ Super Bowl roster last year and was re-acquired before the season for this type of scenario.
A five-time All-Pro and future Hall of Famer, Lane Johnson is regarded as one of the best players in franchise history and perhaps the top player on a star-studded roster. It can be hard to quantify an offensive lineman’s impact, but in Lane Johnson’s case, the Eagles’ record with and without him is often used as an indication.
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Eagles are 96-41-1 when Lane Johnson starts. They’re 12-23 when Lane Johnson doesn’t start. That’s a 70 percent rate compared to a 34 percent rate. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland considers Lane Johnson the prototype at the position.
“He’s the best offensive lineman that’s f—ing come through the Eagles,” center Cam Jurgens said. “You’re going to notice that — when he’s on or off the field.”
But he’s also had a difficult time staying healthy in Year 13. He hasn’t missed a start yet this year, although he’s exited four games with four different ailments: a neck injury, left shoulder injury, ankle injury and now a foot injury.
The Eagles struggled to find a reliable reserve offensive tackle during training camp, which is why general manager Howie Roseman made the deal to re-acquire Fred Johnson. Roseman called it a “big move for our football team” when reflecting on the trade at the trade deadline. The Eagles were 5-1 last season when Fred Johnson started and they’re 3-0 when he plays at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps, including the past two games. The Eagles started playing Fred Johnson as an extra offensive lineman in heavy packages because they saw how beneficial it was to have him on the field.
“The reason we got to that in the first place is that every time Fred goes in to play, he’s played good in his role at tackle,” coach Nick Sirianni said last week.
The Eagles can also play veteran reserve Matt Pryor at right tackle and he could now be the top replacement for Fred Johnson, who would be a candidate to move to the left side if something were to happen to Jordan Mailata. — Zach Berman