Of all the things that could’ve gone wrong for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025, absolutely no one had the offensive line on their bingo card.
Injuries limited Lane Johnson to just 10 games, his fewest since 2020. Landon Dickerson gutted out 16 starts despite never looking fully healthy. Even rising star Cam Jurgens missed a handful of games in the middle of the season and took a slight step back in the first year of his rookie extension.
With beloved O-line coach Jeff Stoutland now officially flying the coop, the Eagles could be forced to make changes to a unit that helped anchor their 2024 Super Bowl run.
And with four of their starters signed through at least the 2028 season, the most likely change is painfully obvious. Much like Jalen Hurts’ offensive play caller, Philly’s right guard spot has been a revolving door since his draft year in 2020.
From the end of Brandon Brooks’ tenure to Isaac Seumalo, Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, and, this past year, Tyler Steen, the Eagles have been searching for the final piece of their O-line puzzle for years.
And now entering the final year of his rookie deal, Steen figures to be Philly’s latest one-and-done at the position come the start of the new league year.
Tyler Steen could be Howie Roseman’s next big trade piece
Steen was far from the worst right guard in football in 2025. He actually filled Becton’s spot better than most Eagles fans probably expected.
Per Pro Football Focus, Steen ranked 15th out of 79 qualifying guards overall and was in the top 10 as a pass blocker. He definitely got off to a slow start to the season, but as the injuries started to pile up around him, he actually stepped up as one of the team’s more dependable offensive players.
What he didn’t earn was an early contract extension from GM Howie Roseman, however, which means one of two things. He’ll either play out the final year of his deal in 2026 or be traded so the team can get some value from his improved play down the stretch of the 2025 regular season.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine is among those who see the latter option being in play this offseason.
“The Eagles don't have a ton of tradable contracts. However, a player like Tyler Steen could be seen as valuable to some teams.”
Why would Steen’s contract be considered tradable? Because it’s no longer cheap.
Per Over the Cap, Steen’s playing time in 2025 is expected to trigger a Level 1 performance escalator in Year 4 of his contract. That means his salary cap number is expected to jump from around $1.85 million to $4 million in 2026.
That’s a more than manageable number for a starting right guard. Still, if he’s not in the team’s long-range plans, Roseman could look to cut bait now and replace Steen with either a draft pick or one of the multiple developmental linemen currently on the roster.
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Steen was more than functional last year, but was he functional enough to earn a 54 percent pay bump? Probably not, and that’s why Roseman will most likely explore a trade now while Steen’s value is at its highest point.