Eagles tackle Lane Johnson has improved with age: ‘He’s probably the best tackle to have ever played’

THE COLONY, Texas — Before introducing his fellow cofounder of OL Masterminds, Duke Manyweather stood in front of a room of about 200 people and described how one of the NFL’s best tackles has improved later in his career.

“I’ve talked to people about this before, where they say players are who they are,” Manyweather told the linemen who ranged from high school seniors to Hall of Famers, “but I honestly don’t believe that because I’ve seen guys get better late into their careers — after Year 4 or 5 and 6 — I’ve seen it. And I think the way they get better is being really able to self-identify the areas you need to get better at and really be deliberate about that.”

He was talking about Lane Johnson, the Eagles right tackle who has played at an elite level well into his 30s. The pair have known each other since 2013, when Johnson was drafted fourth overall out of Oklahoma. The partnership led to the creation of the first OL Masterminds event in 2018. The eighth summit took place two weeks ago.

» READ MORE: Inside Lane Johnson’s OL Masterminds, which brings top NFL linemen and the next generation together

As Johnson enters Year 13 with the Eagles, which starts with the first training camp practice on Wednesday, he continues to refine his game while being a model of consistency. He earned second-team All-Pro honors for the second consecutive season en route to the Birds’ Super Bowl LIX win. One of the first things he does in the offseason, Johnson told the room at Cosm Dallas earlier this month, is reassess himself.

“Every year, I just kind of look at my film. I’ll assess myself and be honest. Sometimes that’s hard for us to do,” said Johnson, who also emphasized the importance of lifting heavy weights earlier in the week during the offseason. “So for me, I look at, ‘How am I handling power? How’s my change of direction? Is my mobility increasing [or] decreasing?’

“I have a sound routine. … It gets harder with age. You see guys that put time in, and you see their careers last.”

Johnson credits his competitiveness to the strong culture the Eagles O-line has built over the years; playing alongside “serious competitors” like Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, and Jason Peters; and O-line coach Jeff Stoutland’s detailed and assignment-focused nature. But the right tackle’s longevity, Manyweather says, is a product of trusting “his behavior over time.”

“Lane is now in Year [13], 35 years old, and like we said earlier, he’s getting better,” Manyweather said. “I think that’s a true testament to the way he approaches the game, mentally and physically. He’s an all-time great. I think it is safe to say now; he’s probably the best right tackle to have ever played. And that’s saying something.”

When Manyweather and Johnson started OL Masterminds in 2018, left tackle Terron Armstead, who recently retired after 12 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints, was among the 27 players in the room.

Armstead, who was drafted two rounds after Johnson in 2013, similarly improved later in his career. He says that the summit “opened me up just to new ideas” and that he “was, nine, 10 years in, and I’m adding tools and tips that I got from Mitch Schwartz or different guys throughout the league.”

Now that his playing career has ended, Armstead, whose five Pro Bowl nods came in 2018 or later, is marveling at how Johnson continues to play at a high level.

“Lane’s a monster,” Armstead told The Inquirer. “We got drafted together. I’m done now. He’s still going. So he’s carrying that torch for the 2013 class. I love it, man. I support him any way I possibly can. He’s a monster in the game. He’s a friend off the field. To me, that’s my dog, and I love to see what he’s doing. He’s building his Hall of Fame resumé, and it’s been incredible [to watch].”

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Joe Thomas, the Hall of Fame Cleveland Browns left tackle, described how he focused his mind on just one thing while he was on the field. Johnson has picked up a similar mindset.

“I was completely only focused on getting that job done, and that was a big part of, I think, my own success because I had a lot of free space in my brain to think about, ‘How am I going to attack this guy, and how am I going to do my job to the best of my ability?’” Thomas told the room. “Because I never thought about, ‘Am I too injured to play? Is this too tiring? Am I too fatigued? Is it too hot?’ Never put any of that in my mind. And I made that decision before I walked out on the field that I was going to get my job done.”

Like Thomas, Johnson typically focuses on “how to declutter your mind” and points to limiting distractions, whether it be TV, social media, or personal issues.

Embracing fear and anxiety head-on, he says, has made the difference in his career.

“I think that the resources that we have now is allowing athletes to be more vocal about it, realizing that fear, anxiety is a big part of performance, and not necessarily something to be looked at in a negative light,” Johnson said. “And I think when you address that, it allows you to be the best player that you can be.

“I heard Drew Brees say, ‘You fix stuff off the field; you can take care of all the things on the field,’ so get your life in check off the field, relationships, mental health, and all that stuff impacts your performance in a big way.”