The Eagles' starting offensive line has already seen its fair share of unexpected shuffling over the past few weeks due to Lane Johnson's potential 10-game suspension, but it will have more of that in the remainder of the preseason due to an injury to Isaac Seumalo.
On Wednesday, head coach Doug Pederson announced the rookie, who was taking first-team reps at left guard, will not play in Indianapolis on Saturday due to a strained pectoral muscle. Instead, veteran Stefen Wisniewski will take his place.
Wisniewski, who has started all 77 games he's played in his NFL career, came to Philadelphia this offseason intending to compete for a starting role. Now that the opportunity is here, he's going to do his best to make the most of the chance.
"As far as I'm aware, it's been an open competition and it's still an open competition," Wisniewski said. "That's as fair as it can be. I've been getting a lot of reps at guard and so have the other guys. That's kind of all I can ask for."
Entering his sixth year in the league, the offensive lineman has seen his most extensive playing time at center with 62 starts. However, he did start 15 games at left guard during his rookie campaign in Oakland back in 2011.
Although it's been five years, the veteran feels confident he can make the adjustments necessary to be comfortable at the position by the time the regular season rolls around, which he's hoping will increase his chances of earning that starting spot.
"These past couple days are the first time I've been at left guard," Wisniewski said. "It would have been nice to maybe have a few more days there, but I think I still have enough time to be comfortable there by Week 1."
Jason Kelce also spoke up for Wisniewski's skills, saying he's sure the veteran will be adequately prepared, despite his limited practice time at left guard. With Wisniewski's experience at center, playing on the left side shouldn't be a big issue.
"He'll have the knowledge down. He's a very smart guy, knows his assignments and everything like that," Kelce said. "In terms of his technique or the difference between right and left, you'll have to ask him. For some guys, it makes a big difference and to some guys it doesn't bother them at all. With a guy who's played center for the majority of his career, where he's had to do a right-side and left-side stagger playing in the middle of the defense, I don't anticipate it bothering him that much."
