Eagles won't look for outside help with O-line in shambles

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The Eagles’ offensive line is in shambles. And there is no hope on the way.

Four games into the season, the Eagles are 1-3 and ranked among the bottom five in every major offensive category.

The root of the problem is clearly an offensive line that was undermanned when healthy and is now in a precarious state after a rash of injuries.

Jason Kelce, a Pro Bowl center a year ago, called the line “a disgrace” after the Eagles lost to the Redskins Sunday at FedEx Field, and it’s hard to argue with him.

Just two years after the Eagles boasted one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, they now have one of the worst.

Depending on the health of Jason Peters, the Eagles will go with either Peters or Matt Tobin at left tackle, Allen Barbre at right guard, Kelce at center, Dennis Kelly or Tobin at right guard and Lane Johnson at right tackle when they face the Saints at the Linc on Sunday.

Tobin, Barbre, Kelly and Andrew Gardner, the Eagles’ opening day right guard, are all career backups.

And head coach Chip Kelly said he’s not in a position to make any changes.

Because there aren’t any to be made.

“At this point in time, you have to (go with who you have),” Kelly said Monday. “There’s not a bunch of O-linemen on the street.

“Everybody’s on their different teams at this point in time, so you hope JP’s healthy this week and he can go. If not, then we have to go with what we got.”

Just two years ago, the Eagles had Peters in his prime, two-time Pro Bowler Evan Mathis at left guard, a blossoming Kelce at center, steady Todd Herremans at right guard and rookie Johnson at right tackle.

The Eagles released Herremans in Feburary and Mathis in June but did nothing to replace them or boost the depth on an offensive line suddenly missing two of its mainstays.

For the first time in franchise history, the Eagles went two straight years without drafting a single offensive lineman. And the only free agent they added was John Moffitt, who was retired last year and didn’t make the team.

Kelly relied on Gardner and Barbre to start at guard. Barbre has struggled all year and Gardner had a tough time before suffering a season-ending injury.

With Peters now hurt, the Eagles essentially have Kelce, Johnson and three career backups. Johnson isn't 100 percent, either, saying after Sunday's loss that he thought he re-sprained his MCL

No wonder the offense is averaging over 100 yards fewer this year than last year.

The current backups are Julian Vandervelde, who has been released nine times in his career, and Josh Andrews, who has never played in an NFL game. Tackle Brett Boyko and guard Malcolm Bunche are on the practice squad.

It all makes you wonder what Kelly was thinking when he released Mathis, who the Eagles could sure use right now.

Mathis was trying to get the Eagles to give him a new contract, but he also says he had assured Kelly he would report for the start of training camp.

Kelly cut him before he had a chance to.

Mathis now starts at left guard for the undefeated Broncos.

But Kelly refused to second guess himself on the Mathis move Monday.

“It’s not a lesson learned,” he said. “We weren’t going to renegotiate his contract, and I’ll say it again, we were told by his agent if we didn’t renegotiate it we weren’t getting him back.”

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