There’s an old saying — maybe you’ve heard it — that goes something along the lines of “scared money don’t make money.”
The Philadelphia Eagles are facing a huge decision in the upcoming NFL draft — specifically in the 1st round — with pressure from all sides to possibly take an offensive lineman despite pressing needs at edge rusher and possibly wide receiver.
Taking an offensive lineman when the Eagles are already paying a mint for the offensive line they currently have is the definition of “scared money” and it’s what ESPN’s Ben Solak thinks they should do in what would be a disastrous move for a franchise with just 1 goal in mind — win their 3rd Super Bowl in the last decade.
You don’t do that by adding depth on the offensive line for a speculative future. You win a Super Bowl by addressing the needs you have right now.
“The driving force behind the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win was their offensive line, and that unit is suddenly in jeopardy,” Solak wrote on Thursday. “Left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens are both returning from injury-hampered seasons; right guard Tyler Steen is in a contract year; right tackle Lane Johnson is coming off an ankle injury and was reportedly mulling retirement. The Eagles need to invest in multiple offensive linemen to start in 2027 or earlier.”
No, they don’t.
They need to invest in edge rushers and wide receivers to help them win in 2026.
Eagles Broke Bank to Pay Elite Offensive Linemen
The Eagles have spared no expense when it comes to their offensive line.
If anything, it’s a group that owes the franchise and the city of Philadelphia a dominant season after underwhelming in almost every way possible in 2025.
Philadelphia currently has 4 offensive linemen — Johnson, Dickerson, Jurgens, and Jordan Mailata— who are all homegrown products drafted by the Eagles and all have been made among the highest-paid players in the NFL at their respective positions.
When their current contracts run out, the Eagles will have paid them a staggering $508.6 million in combined career earnings, led by Johnson ($204.9 million), Mailata ($133.2 million), Dickerson ($94.4 million), and Jurgens ($79.1 million).
Offensive Line Play Went Off Cliff in 2025
After fielding the NFL’s signature unit with their offensive line in 2024 on the way to a dominant Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles were essentially the opposite of that in 2025.
The Eagles paved the way for the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 with running back Saquon Barkley, who became just the 9th player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. Those numbers were almost cut in half in 2025.
Those struggles paved the way for wholesale changes on the coaching staff, with legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland forced into retirement and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo fired after just 1 season.
The Eagles replaced Patullo with former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion, who will be in his 1st season as an NFL offensive coordinator after just 2 seasons as an offensive assistant with the Green Bay Packers.
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