UPDATED STORY: After originally expressing doubt on Tuesday morning, Brian Baldinger is now saying Lane Johnson will play in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card game against the San Francisco 49ers.
ORIGINAL STORY BELOW.
Lane Johnson is reportedly set to return to practice this week as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs … but it’s currently unclear if the All-Pro right tackle will actually suit up for Sunday’s Wild Card game.
Brian Baldinger, who has a close relationship with Johnson, recently mentioned that he doesn’t think the Eagles’ right tackle will play this weekend. Baldy said the following in a Tuesday morning appearance on The PHLY Anthony Gargano Show (hat tip to the PHLY Eagles podcast):
If the Eagles are stuck in this game offensively, I mean, the fans … the fans are just not going to be able to handle it, man. They just gave everybody a week of rest. They’re going to be fully healthy. I don’t think Lane will go but we’ll see. But, regardless, they should be fully healthy and rested against a defense that there’s not one person on that defense that scares you. Not one!
The “but we’ll see” obviously leaves the door open that Johnson might be able to play after all. It would be surprising if Johnson didn’t make a serious effort to play since Sunday will be the final game of the Eagles’ season if they don’t win.
The uncertainty about Johnson’s status speaks to the severity of the Lisfranc injury he’s dealing with. Even if he is able to play, one must wonder how close to 100% he’ll be and if he can make it through the entire game. Johnson is incredibly tough and no stranger to playing through injury, so, it’s hard to count him out entirely. But it’s not comforting to think that the Eagles could be without him against the 49ers.
Then again, the Niners have the fewest sacks in the NFL this season. Fred Johnson is no Lane Johnson but Big Fred hasn’t been a disaster during Lane’s absence. Maybe the Eagles can buy Lane one more week of rest.
We’ll see how Lane fares in practice this week. The Eagles will issue their first injury report leading up to the 49ers game on Wednesday afternoon/evening.
FIRST UPDATE: For what it’s worth, NFL insider Adam Schefter had this to say on 97.5 The Fanatic with John Kincade and Andrew Salciunas on Wednesday morning:
I’ll just say this: Lane Johnson, I expected to play two weeks ago. And when they won the division, I think they were able to just get him two weeks of rest. So, without speaking to a single person this week about it, I’m going to tell you right now: I would be floored if Lane Johnson didn’t play on Sunday. Like, he’s going to be out there. Let me tell you right now, he’s going to be out there playing. Nakobe Dean, I don’t know. […] But, Lane Johnson, they were preparing him to be out there two weeks ago. They won the division, they felt like they brought him extra time. He’ll play.
Clearly much more optimistic than Baldy, though Schefter did say he hasn’t talked to anyone about Lane. And Baldy might be hearing more directly from Lane himself.
SECOND UPDATE: Baldy tweeted that Lane is playing on Sunday. There you have it!
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