Lane Johnson continues to wait, and vent.
Still without the results of the "B" sample that will decide whether he will be hit with a 10-game suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy, Johnson's frustrations are growing. He told reporters Wednesday that the suspense is "like waiting for an execution date" and that "it's been living hell the past month." He hinted that he is taking legal action against the company that sold him an amino acid that he claims was tainted with a banned substance that didn't appear on the label.
"I just get a little more pissed off each day, to be honest," he added. "That's where I'm at right now."
Where the Eagles are at is in a rough spot as a result of all of this.
Losing the right tackle would be bad enough, but the uncertainty surrounding the timing of a potential suspension compounds the problem. If the "B" sample comes back positive and Johnson accepts the discipline, the suspension will start in Week 1. If he opts to appeal, it's likely a different story. Per the NFL's 2015 Policy On Performance-Enhancing Substances, "Appeal hearings will be scheduled to take place on the fourth Tuesday following issuance of the notice of discipline. Upon agreement of the Parties, the hearing may be rescheduled to another date." If we use that time line, the matter would still be ongoing during part of the season. By rule, suspensions don't begin until the decision on appeal becomes final, so Johnson would be available early on in this scenario but would risk being suspended late in the season when his team could potentially be making a playoff push.
How to proceed, then, if you're head coach Doug Pederson?
He's decided to prepare for life without Johnson and has Allen Barbre working at right tackle with rookie Isaac Seumalo taking his spot at left guard. Only now Seumalo is hurt -- he has a strained pectoral and will miss Saturday's dress rehearsal at the Indianapolis Colts -- and it will instead be Stefen Wisniewski in between Jason Kelce and Jason Peters. The makeshift starting line that Pederson has in mind will enter the season with few in-game reps as an entire unit.
"I lean back on the fact that we've got some veteran guys there. Kelce does a great job of keeping those guys together. Really, all those guys; they've played a lot of snaps. Maybe not a lot of snaps together, but they've played a lot of snaps in the National Football League," said Pederson. "Brandon Brooks in Houston, and [Peters], Kelce, and Barbre there at right tackle. Isaac will be the one [that] is the newbie in the group. But, I think they've gelled really well. They've come together."
A positive spin, but there's really no substitute for consistency along the offensive front. Brooks and Seumalo are new to the group. Barbre is in a different role. Peters, Brooks and now Seumalo have all missed some time due to injury this summer. It's been musical chairs to a certain extent, brought on in part by the complications hovering over the right tackle spot.
Instability up front is something this offense could do without, particularly this early in a scheme change and with so many questions surrounding the skill positions. It immediately tests the O-line depth that executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman tried to build this offseason; forces Kelce to try and sync up with different dance partners (again) on either side of him; heightens the need for the 34-year-old Peters to stay healthy; and puts a little extra pressure on Sam Bradford to overcome the unexpected while trusting that the group in front of him will keep the unexpected to a minimum.
The ripple effect, in other words, could very well be felt far and wide.
Johnson says he gets more "pissed off" every day. Chances are, he's not the only one inside the building that feels that way.
