Eagles debate table: Is Lane Johnson a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate?

Here are the only three arguments for keeping Lane Johnson out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lane Johnson’s resume speaks for itself: a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2017, a Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2021, and three trips to the Pro Bowl (2017–2019) in nine seasons. Ask any die-hard Birds fan that has watched him on a game-in and game-out basis, and they’ll tell you, more than likely, that he deserves first-ballot consideration.

Sadly, most fans won’t get a vote on the matter. Without question, Lane has quietly crafted a Pro Football Hall of Fame resume, but so has Eric Allen. As you can see, he’s still waiting for his bust to be carved, so the question remains. Is Lane Johnson a Hall-of-Famer or not?

In our opinion, here’s one of the biggest stumbling blocks to his induction. The debate table is open. Feel free to agree or disagree.

1. It’s hard to erase the memory of the suspension.

Like it or not, these matters, even if they’ve long been forgotten and/or forgiven by many, always surface when these types of conversations begin. Johnson missed all but six games during the 2016 NFL season as he was suspended for ten games for PED violations.

He maintained his innocence, stating that he was unaware that the substance in question was banned. He also lamented the NFL Player’s Association app didn’t give it any mention, but even though the best years of his NFL career have followed this unfortunate portion of his legend, you can’t discuss his NFL journey without bringing this up.

Hopefully, none of this will put a huge damper on his chances.