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Now that Evan Mathis has been given his walking papers from the Philadelphia Eagles, many people seem to think that the team is doomed. On the surface, the Eagles just lost a two-time Pro Bowl, one-time All-Pro guard over what amounted to $1 million per year. Going off that perspective, the Eagles either have the world’s greatest offensive line or they’re now barely capable of stopping a high-school-level pass rush. But the Eagles, in reality, are going to be okay. They’re much better set up on the offensive line than you think.
First off, people have to get off this idea that Mathis was the best guard in football. Truth is, he’s not. He never has been. The best guards in the game don’t bounce around from team to team, clinging onto the bottom of the depth chart then magically flip a switch and become an All-Pro. It just doesn’t happen. What happened to Mathis was that he fell into his perfect situation with the Eagles. Their blocking philosophies just happened to mesh perfectly with Mathis’ style, and he rose to the occasion. I can’t take that away from him; he deserves the credit for doing what he did in Philly. He was good, but players like that are replaceable. They found Mathis off the street, and I don’t think it’s a stretch for the Eagles to find the next guy like that.
Secondly, they may have already found their next Mathis in Allen Barbre. Barbre’s bounced around the league like Mathis did with stints in Green Bay, Miami and Seattle. Barbre’s also tailor made for Chip Kelly’s offense with his speed and agility, much like Mathis was. It’s also important to note that Barbre looked like a solid player in 2013 when he took over Jason Peters’ job midseason. It’s fair to think that had Barber not busted his ankle in the opener last year, people would be much more optimistic about his potential. He may not have the draft-pick pedigree, or the benefit of proving his play on the field recently, but there’s upside to Barbre that can’t be overlooked.
Lastly, three out of the five spots on the line are cemented down just fine. Peters, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson are all solid, if not elite blockers. And if you haven’t guessed yet, I’m comfortable with Barbre starting. So really there’s only the second guard position that might be a concern, which isn’t the worst situation in the world for a team. The Eagles do have Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner to fill the spot, and there might be a free agent or maybe even a trade. There are plenty of options to come up with an answer for that last spot.
Depth might be an issue, but as far as the starting five go, the Eagles are pretty set there without Mathis on board. While it would have been nice to have Mathis back, his loss isn’t the end of the world. The Eagles will open holes in the running game and protect the quarterback just fine this season, provided they don’t get annihilated with injuries again. If that happens, they are screwed anyway as would any team in the league.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
