Thanks to Lane Johnson's suspension and a few injuries, the Eagles' offensive line unit wasn't what most expected it to be in 2016. Should things go according to plan on the O-line in 2017, expectations are high. For Pro Football Focus, they're as high as it gets.
PFF ranked the Eagles' O-line No. 1 in the entire league heading into this season, citing the fact that it has the "fewest holes."
Center Jason Kelce is considered their biggest question mark, but even though his abilities have faded a bit with age, he hasn't missed a snap in two seasons. That has to count for something.
Allen Barbre and second-year Eagle Brandon Brooks, who allowed just one sack last season, complete the line's interior. Then, of course, the tackle tandem of Jason Peters and Lane Johnson is hard to beat. PFF says Johnson, when on the field, was the best right tackle last season. Johnson would agree.
Even beyond the first-team unit, the Eagles have experience. Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Isaac Seumalo both saw unexpected snaps as rookies last season because of the reshuffling. That should help moving forward.
Rounding out PFF's top three are the Browns and Steelers. Cleveland boosted its corps by signing J.C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler in free agency. The Steelers had the best unit during the second half of last season.
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More notably for Eagles fans, the Cowboys come in at No. 9 in PFF's rankings after owning one of the league's best O-lines in recent years. Ronald Leary and Doug Free are gone, and La'el Collins' move to right tackle is not a sure bet for success.
Washington sits two slots below at No. 11. PFF considers continuity the 'Skins' greatest strength - they return all five O-line starters from last season and four of five from 2015.
And the Giants, well, it'll take some scrolling to reach their spot on the list: No. 28. Left tackle Ereck Flowers was the worst among his position in pressures allowed as a rookie. Eli Manning could be in for a busy season.
