Days before the Jacksonville Jaguars faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson announced his retirement, leaving a massive void on their offensive line.
With Johnson out of the picture, the Eagles will tentatively plug in Markel Bell at the right tackle. However, that won't be the only tweak their offensive trenches will undergo ahead of the London game.
One day after Johnson hung up his cleats, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Philly is trading offensive lineman Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round selection to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2027 and a second-rounder one year later. With Jurges out of the mix, the Jacksonville defense keeps getting favorable matchups against the Eagles.
The Eagles traded Cam Jurgens just before their Week 5 game vs. the Jaguars
A second-round pick in 2022, Cam Jurgens appeared in 62 games with 45 starts during his time in Philly. With him now in Baltimore, Drew Kendall becomes the Eagles' starting center. It's worth noting that Kendall had already started the past three games since Jurges had moved to left guard to fill in for Landon Dickerson, who's currently on the Injured Reserve list.
But after trading Jurgens, Will Lampkin and Kendall will tentatively start at left guard and center, respectively, in Week 5.
That will be great news for a Jacksonville defense that's coming off a dominant showing in which it allowed a measly 23 rushing yards. On top of that, the Jags did a good job of rattling Joe Burrow, racking up 10 quarterback hits, 20 total pressures, and two sacks.
Circling back to Lampkin and Kendall, Jaguars defensive tackles Arik Armstead and DaVon Hamilton will have a great matchup. Armstead, in particular, has been on fire the past two games, registering 10 total pressures and one sack in that span. He'll get another opportunity to keep boosting his stock against Philly.
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The Jaguars must take advantage of Eagles' O-Line without Cam Jurgens
In Week 5, the Jaguars will play against a Philadelphia team that won't be at full strength. Leaving aside the tweaks they'll have to make to the offensive line with Cam Jurgens and Landon Johnson no longer in the picture, the Eagles will probably be without running back Saquon Barkley. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, running back Tank Bigsby, and tight end Dallas Goedert will also miss the game.
This means that the pendulum is quickly swinging in the Jags' favor. Early in the week, they were a 6.5-point favorite. Don't be surprised if the line keeps moving. But of course, it all will be moot if they cannot capitalize on the opportunity.
The Jags are getting the spotlight after facing some pretty good teams to start the season. With a win over the Eagles, they'll keep drawing widespread attention across the NFL. Not having to face Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson will most definitely help.
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