Lane Johnson expresses confidence in Eagles offense after Saquon Barkley's arrival
Lane Johnson believes Saquon Barkley's arrival will reinvigorate the Eagles offense. He laid out the case that they have some of the best offensive players playing in Philadelphia and the running back just adds to that group. He name-checked the wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Lane Johnson also said that tight-end Dallas Goedert is severely underrated.
Speaking on All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson, the offensive tackle commented,
"When you do look at our group man it's special. We got a running back, back there that I never thought would be on our team. You got AJ [Brown] you know becoming what he's becoming, DeVonta [Smith] as well, and then Dallas [Goedert] you know I think is probably one of the more underrated players in the league."
Saquon Barkley also thrilled to play with Lane Johnson
Saquon Barkley is equally thrilled to be in Philadelphia and is looking forward to playing behind an offensive line containing Lane Johnson. Even with Jason Kelce's retirement, Jeff Stoutland's unit is expected to be near the top of the league. Last season's Giants were one of the worst offensive lines in terms of allowing pressure and that makes life hard for any running back.
And Saquon Barkley seemed relieved, as reported by ESPN, that he is now with the Eagles, saying during the OTAs,
"It's like a fresh start. I feel like a rookie again. Getting to know everybody in here, learning the culture, buying into the culture, and feeling like it's home... That's not a bad group to be out there (talking about wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert) with and that's not even including the offensive linemen."
And it's not just Lane Johnson and Saquon Barkley praising each other. Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will command the offense, has said that he looks forward to sharing leadership roles with the running back. He commented,
"Even in the short time of us having OTAs, you hear about the type of person he (Barkley) is, the type of leader he is in the room, the energy he brings to a room and that's something that I appreciate already -- just us competing in sprints or competing on the squat rack and things like that where we're challenging one another -- those are the things that set the thermostat for what the team is supposed to follow."
The honeymoon period between the former Giants star and his current Eagles teammates looks to be going well. It remains to be seen if it continues into the 2024 NFL season.