There wasn't a dry eye anywhere in the city of Philly when former Philadelphia Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland announced that he was not coming back to the franchise after 13 years.
Stoutland had been a key player in the franchise that has built some of the best offensive lines in the NFL over the last decade, but with his departure, many fans thought he would either take another job or be off the map for a while. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson appeared on the Fitz and Whit podcast, where he revealed some interesting news about Stoutland fans in Philly that they did not see coming.
'It's unfortunate. The thing about him, though, I think he will be around in some capacity this year. So, it's not like he's going a long ways away."
Jeff Stoutland may not be leaving Philly after all
Stoutland has put together a Hall of Fame career that shows he has been to three Super Bowls and won two of them with Philly. He has developed great talent on the line, including Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce, Jason Peters, Brandon Brooks, Evan Mathis, and many more.
There is no assistant coach in Philadelphia's franchise history who has been more of a fan favorite than Stoutland. He has shown his appreciation to the fans and the city, as well as built gritty offensive linemen that fit the style of Philadelphia as a whole.
It does leave many wondering what the plan is for Stoutland if he is indeed staying in Philly to help out. Does that mean he is with the team as a consultant and helps new offensive line coach Chris Kuper with the transition?
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Eagles fans would be very curious to see how it plays out, as it was initially thought to be an ugly breakup between Stoutland and the team. Johnson is making it seem like all is good and he'll still help out, which would make fans feel much better about the new coaching staff.