Eagles veteran willing to do what most wouldn't

Lane Johnson has always put the team first. And on Wednesday, news broke that he is going to put surgery off on his core muscle injury with the hope of rejoining the team in the playoffs. Toughness personified. “He's one of the toughest guys we've ever been around,” head coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday. […]

Ian Kayanja

Dec 29, 2022 3:09 PM EST

Lane Johnson has always put the team first.

And on Wednesday, news broke that he is going to put surgery off on his core muscle injury with the hope of rejoining the team in the playoffs.

Toughness personified.

After consulting with numerous experts, including Dr. William Meyers in Philly, #Eagles Pro Bowl OT Lane Johnson will put off surgery on his torn adductor to rehab for two (or three) weeks and will play in the playoffs, sources say. Wild. pic.twitter.com/ieyIwWaXT2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2022

“He's one of the toughest guys we've ever been around,” head coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday. “Obviously, it says a lot about how he cares about his teammates, who he is as a teammate, and you know he's in pain, that he's just going to do whatever he needs to do to get himself ready to play, and that's for his teammates.

“Speaks of his toughness and his desire to connect and how much all his teammates mean to him.”

What Lane Johnson means to the team

He is willing to put his body on the line for the team. But it is fair to wonder how well he will play if the Eagles don't have the extra bye week. That is why clinching the No. 1 seed is so important. It buys Johnson more time.

“That’s who Lane is,” Travis Kelce, a teammate of Johnson, said. “Obviously, he’s a guy who loves to play football, he’s been here for a long time. He’s put everything on the line for this team for a number of years. Doesn’t surprise me one bit. We’ll see where he’s at in a couple of weeks, how he feels, him and the trainers and the medical staff will all sit down and we’ll see.”

Johnson has played well this season. He's been consistent. And in his 10 seasons, he's been named to the Pro Bowl four times (the fourth coming this season).

The Eagles will need a healthy Johnson if they plan to make a deep run in the playoffs. However, part of making that deep run is having health on their side. If the Eagles clinch, Johnson's return is feeling increasingly likely.