Jason Peters Paid, but Offensive Line Concerns Remain for Philadelphia Eagles

Thursday, September 10, 2020
Philadelphia Eagles' Jason Peters is seen during an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Philadelphia.
AP-AP

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Carson Wentz will have more peace of mind with Jason Peters protecting his blindside come Sunday at Washington, and now Peters will be at peace as well.

The Eagles restructured his contract on Thursday as Peters moved from right guard back to left tackle earlier this week in good faith.

The future Hall of Fame left tackle can now potentially earn up to $8M with his re-worked deal that includes a $2M signing bonus & $4M guaranteed, according to Peters agent.

Peters originally signed a one year, $3.1M deal with a $1.1M signing bonus & $2.9M guaranteed to play RG, a move the Eagles made when Brandon Brooks suffered what is believed to be a season-ending injury this offseason.

"I've had J.P. blocking my blind side pretty much every year, and obviously he's missed a couple games with injuries and stuff over the years, but he's been the guy," Wentz said earlier this week. "He's been the guy out there and done a great job. I'm pretty excited he's back there, I think the o-line is excited about it, and it puts us in a good position going forward for sure."

"They call him the bodyguard for a reason. He always takes care of me," Wentz said of Peters.

The move for Peters came after Andre Dillard went down with a biceps injury in training camp. Dillard was expected to be the starting left tackle for the 2020 season but things changed quickly when the former first-round pick went down.

Initially, after Dillard's injury Peters remained at guard which appeared to be a bizarre move, as Peters and his agent wanted a pay bump to make the move and be paid as a tackle. Eagles used Jordan Mailata as Matt Pryor at left tackle in practices and even brought in veteran Cordy Glenn, who has played for the Bills and Bengals, for a workout.

"I was just thrilled to death when he shared the news. I'm not going to get into the contract stuff. That's not my area, but I was excited that when he shared the news that he was moving over to the left side and sliding over to the left side, I was thrilled. I mean, I couldn't have been happier, not only for him but I think for our team. It just shows a sign of great leadership by him and gave him a hug and said let's go," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Monday about an unexpected visit from Peters to tell him he would move to left tackle.

While the Eagles left tackle situation is all squared away heading into their week one opener on the road at Washington, the Eagles still have offensive line of concerns.

Right tackle Lane Johnson is day-to-day with an ankle injury that has been lingering for weeks and he was limited Wednesday in practice.

Pryor is expected to start now at RG, But if Johnson cannot play they may move Pryor to right tackle.

Pryor has very limited experience at guard. He made his first career start at RG in place of the injured Brandon Brooks, in their playoff loss for the Seattle Seahawks.

These are among the Concerns for Wentz and Pederson with only a few days ago.