A familiar face returns to Philadelphia as the Eagles shuffle their offensive line depth ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown.
On Monday, the Eagles agreed to acquire veteran tackle Fred Johnson from the Jaguars in exchange for Philadelphia's 2026 seventh-round draft pick. The Eagles have also agreed to a trade with the Packers to receive a 2027 sixth-round draft pick, and in return, Green Bay receives tackle/guard Darian Kinnard.
The 6-foot-7, 326-pound Johnson is a Swiss Army knife for the offensive line with starting experience at both tackle spots. Originally signed by the Eagles to the practice squad during the 2022 season, the 28-year-old Johnson cultivated his size, length, and athletic talent behind the scenes and was rewarded with a two-year contract just before the start of the 2023 campaign.
The Eagles' investment in Johnson paid off during the Super Bowl LIX-winning campaign. In the Week 3 win at New Orleans, Johnson entered the game for an injured Lane Johnson at right tackle and helped gash the Saints' defensive line as Saquon Barkley rushed for 147 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Coming out of the Week 5 bye, Fred Johnson was needed to start at left tackle for an injured Jordan Mailata. As the Eagles kicked off the longest win streak in franchise history (10 games), Johnson started at left tackle for the first four of those contests. In the Week 8 win over Cincinnati, Johnson allowed just one pressure against 2024 NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals.
In all, Johnson played 42 percent of the snaps on offense last season. Over the past two years, Johnson suited up in all 39 regular-season and playoff games with six starts (five at left tackle and one at right tackle).
Johnson returned to his home state of Florida this offseason, signing a one-year deal in free agency with Jacksonville. He first entered the league as a rookie free agent signing of the Steelers in 2019 out of the University of Florida. He landed in Cincinnati, where he played for three seasons before going to Tampa Bay for the 2022 season prior to signing with the Eagles midway through that year. In total, Johnson has played 62 regular-season games with 14 starts (nine at left tackle, three at right tackle, and two at right guard).
Kinnard won his third Super Bowl in as many NFL seasons in 2024, providing depth for the Eagles' offensive line. He played in two games, starting at right tackle in the regular-season finale against the Giants.
Originally a fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Kentucky, Kinnard played in one game as a rookie and spent the entirety of his second season on Kansas City's practice squad.
The Eagles signed the 6-5, 322-pound Kinnard to a reserve/future contract in the 2024 offseason. He earned his way onto the active roster with a strong Training Camp and preseason.
In the 2025 preseason, Kinnard played 97 total snaps on offense, according to Next Gen Stats, splitting time between right guard and right tackle.
As the Eagles work their way toward Tuesday's 4 PM deadline to get to the 53-man roster, the team has agreed to acquire Johnson and quarterback Sam Howell, waived/injured defensive back Lewis Cine, and waived quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
