Eagles O-Line coach Jeff Stoutland anticipates a strong season from Jason Peters

Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland believes Jason Peters was decent in 2018 — but 2019 should be a much better season.

Injuries seemed to have defined the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles. No thanks to the long run of injuries in 2017, the Super Bowl hangover became very real. And it wasn’t because the Eagles ran out of juice and/or regressed — it was more like the injury issues from 2017 overlapped into the 2018 season. With the long season and short offseason that occurred, it was an uphill battle for the Eagles to get healthy, while trying to remain competitive.

And it really seemed to have taken a toll on some of their guys’ game. One of those players who dealt with non-stop issues was Philadelphia Eagles veteran left tackle, Jason Peters. It’s no secret that at this point in his career, Jason Peters is well beyond his peak. Despite being 37-years-old though, Peters is still very good at what he does. Unfortunately, injuries have been difficult to overcome over the last few seasons.

In 2017, Peters suffered a torn ACL, effectively ending his season halfway through the year. He was able to return to the field by week one of 2018 season, but it wasn’t exactly easy. Throughout the entire year, Peters had to take some plays off.

As he fought through torn biceps, a concussion, and more, Peters had no choice but to sit out or be a warrior and fight through it. Seeing as though he appeared in all 16 games, and two playoff matchups, it’s clear he went with the latter. While Peters was available, there were times in the beginning of the season where he came off as a bit of a liability.

However, down the stretch, he was back to his old ways. With a standout performance during the Wild Card round against the Chicago Bears, it became clear that Peters can still play at a relatively high level at the age of 37. He just has to remain healthy. And in the eyes of Peters’ offensive line coach, Jeff Stoutland, he sees a much better season coming from the potential future Hall of Famer in 2019 as he gets back to being fully healthy once again.

Stoutland anticipates a better season from Peters in 2019

"“Have you ever had an ACL? It takes (a long time) to come back from that. A lot of people will say a year, not only just physically, but mentally. I really do believe – I always felt this way – he’s going to be a better, more productive player this year than last year. I really do believe that. I’ve never seen anybody heal so fast. Jason Peters has been injured before, and people have always written him off, and he just keeps coming back, stronger and better than ever.”"

The Eagles found out first-hand last season just how difficult it is for players to get back to their old ways after suffering a season-ending injury. And not just from Jason Peters, but also with Carson Wentz, Jordan Hicks, Darren Sproles, etc. Clearly, it takes more than a year for guys to get back to their old ways, and sometimes even longer for them to become 100-percent.

Peters wasn’t perfect in 2018, but the Eagles didn’t have a left tackle who could play as well as he did despite battling through injuries. In 2019, the Eagles have a first-rounder behind Peters, but JP’s experience alone automatically makes him superior to Andre Dillard. Having Peters around in 2019 will be beneficial from a teammate and mentor standpoint, but according to Stoutland, it sure sounds like his game will be on another level as well. Hopefully, he can stay healthy.