Eagles Offseason Preview: Offensive Line

By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The Eagles offensive line went through some ups and downs in 2016 and as we turn the page to 2017, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered.

The team needs to consider the age of Jason Peters, the cap hit of Jason Kelce and the upside of guys like Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Isaac Seumalo when making their decisions over the next few months.

Who's Here?

In addition to Peters, Kelce, Vaitai and Seumalo, the Eagles currently have Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Dillon Gordon, Allen Barbre and Matt Tobin under contract for 2017. They also have Darrell Greene, Aaron Neary, Josh LeRibeus and Dallas Thomas signed to reserved/future contracts. Stefen Wisniewski is currently an unrestricted free agent.

Who Stays?

Let's get Brooks and Johnson out of the way. They're both signed to long-term deals and should be the cornerstones of the o-line moving forward. 

As for Peters and Kelce, I think they both will be around in 2017 and the decisions on their employment will be made next year. Peters is still a great left tackle, and his $11.5 million cap hit ranks ninth in the league at his position. He's more than deserving of that kind of compensation.

Kelce is a guy who struggled early in the year, but his improved play led to him earning a Pro Bowl nod. The Eagles need to make sure Carson Wentz is sufficiently protected and if Kelce remains the best center on the team, he should remain, regardless of compensation.

Barbre is a solid veteran with versatility who is signed to a team-friendly deal. The Eagles have little to gain from cutting him.

Vaitai and Seumalo will be here, too. Both players showed promise in their rookie year, and, at worst, they are a pair of high level backups who are versatile enough to play multiple positions along the line. 

The Eagles like Gordon's upside and they kept him safe on the 53-man roster all season. Unless he regresses dramatically, he'll be back.

Who Goes?

Wisniewski came to the Eagles last year looking for a chance to start and never really got one. He'll probably go on the open market in search of a better opportunity than what the Birds can offer him.

It's hard to peg any of the guys who are signed to future contracts as keepers, so we'll keep them down here for now.

Who's Available?

The offensive line isn't exactly a pressing need right now, but there isn't much upside. Outside of Johnson, are there any guys you can count on becoming elite in the next few seasons? In a draft where there doesn't seem to be many top-flight linemen available, it may make more sense to spend some late round picks on projects and save the first couple rounds for filling more immediate needs.

If the Eagles keep Peters and Kelce, they won't really have any starting slots open, so signing a top free agent really wouldn't make much sense either. Instead, the team may wait until after OTAs and try to find an undervalued veteran who could fill Wisniewski's spot as top interior backup.

Other than that, the Eagles will probably hold on to what they have and see who is worthy of protecting Wentz. After the veterans move on next season, expect more of an overhaul.

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