June 28, 2016

NFL age inventory: Offensive line

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Steven Senne/AP

Jason Peters and Allen Barbre discuss how much a gallon of gas used to cost, and how good Werther's Originals are.

All week long we're taking inventory of the Eagles' age at various spots on their roster. Yesterday we took a look at the offensive skill positions, where the Eagles are very young. Today we'll tackle the offensive line.

For the second consecutive year, the Philadelphia Eagles have the oldest projected starting offensive line in the NFL. Last year they had an average age of 29.6. This year, they're slightly younger, at an average age of 29.2. Here is where they rank compared with the rest of the NFL:

Rank	Team	Average age
Youngest	Titans	23
2	Lions	24.4
T-3	Seahawks	24.6
T-4	Colts	24.6
T-5	Bears	24.8
T-5	Chiefs	24.8
T-7	Rams	25.2
T-7	Dolphins	25.2
T-9	Giants	25.6
T-9	Broncos	25.6
T-10	Cowboys	25.8
T-10	Patriots	25.8
13	Buccaneers	26
14	Texans	26.2
T-15	Redskins	26.4
T-15	Jaguars	26.4
T-17	Packers	26.8
T-17	Saints	26.8
T-17	Ravens	26.8
T-17	Browns	26.8
21	Panthers	27
22	Bills	27.2
23	Steelers	27.4
24	Raiders	27.8
25	Chargers	28.2
T-26	Vikings	28.4
T-26	Jets	28.4
28	Bengals	28.6
T-29	Cardinals	28.8
T-29	49ers	28.8
31	Falcons	29
Oldest	Eagles	29.2

For the Eagles' starters, we projected the following lineup.

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Jason Peters	Allen Barbre	Jason Kelce	Brandon Brooks	Lane Johnson

The only real spot that was seemingly up for grabs was LG, although Doug Pederson said that job was Allen Barbre's to lose.

"Right now it is Allen Barbre's job," Pederson said back in May, "and I think again that's something we did through the draft and a little bit of free agency is to kind of shore up that spot. I really like where we're at. I like the depth at that position right now. But yeah, Allen Barbre is my guy and he's our starter."

We'll see if that changes. The Eagles drafted Isaac Seumalo in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has yet to practice with the full team, as his school (Oregon State) runs on the quarters system, which hurts his immediate chances to start. Still, Pederson said that Seumalo will be working specifically at LG, where Barbre is the only player in any danger of losing his spot. That's a good sign for Seumalo to have a legitimate chance to win that job.

Should Seumalo (22) win the starting LG job, he would lower the Eagles' average age considerably. They would go from an average age 29.2 to 27.2, and would be tied for 22nd with the Bills.

Here is where each of the Eagles' projected starters rank individually at their respective positions:

Player	Positional rank
Jason Peters	2nd oldest LT
Allen Barbre	2nd oldest LG
Jason Kelce	11th oldest C
Brandon Brooks	10th oldest RG
Lane Johnson	24th oldest RT

Obviously, Peters and Barbre bring the Eagles' average age up quite a bit. In fact, there are only 12 projected OL starters in the NFL who are 32 years of age or older, two of whom are on the left side of the Eagles' line:

Player	Position	Team	Birthday	Age
Evan Mathis	RG	Cardinals	11/1/1981	34
Andrew Whitworth	LT	Bengals	12/12/1981	34
Jason Peters	LT	Eagles	1/22/1982	34
Erik Pears	RT	49ers	4/21/1982	34
Chris Chester	RG	Falcons	1/12/1983	33
Donald Penn	LT	Raiders	4/27/1983	33
Richie Incognito	LG	Bills	7/5/1983	33
Zach Streif	RT	Saints	9/22/1983	32
Eric Winston	RT	Bengals	11/17/1983	32
Nick Mangold	C	Jets	1/13/1984	32
Doug Free	RT	Cowboys	1/16/1984	32
Allen Barbre	LG	Eagles	6/22/1984	32

This offseason the Eagles put some legitimate draft and free agency resources toward the offensive line for the first time since the Eagles drafted Lane Johnson with the No. 4 overall pick in 2013. During the Chip Kelly era, the Eagles did a terrible job reloading with youth and depth, and it bit the Eagles in the ass, as we predicted it would this time last year.

This offseason, the Birds signed Brandon Brooks to a big money deal in March, and they selected Seumalo and OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai in the draft.

While the Eagles are in much better shape heading into this season than they were a year ago, they are far from done reloading along their offensive line, which should remain a major priority in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski