Eagles receive Lane Johnson Hall of Fame projection despite one major hurdle

The Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the best teams in the NFL for the last decade or so. Ever since their first Super Bowl title in 2017, the Eagles have been one of the best teams in the league.

There, for all of it, has been veteran stalwart offensive tackle Lane Johnson. Heading into his 14th season in 2026, Johnson has been one of the best tackles in the league and has earned many accolades during his incredible career.

But what about making the Hall of Fame? Well, despite one major hurdle to clear, ESPN's Bill Barnwell is projecting that Johnson will eventually make it into the Hall of Fame, as his overall body of work more than makes up for the early-career blemish.

Lane Johnson predicted to overcome early-career issue to make Hall of Fame

"Johnson has been the best right tackle in football when healthy for most of his career, which is usually an automatic path into the Hall," Barnwell writes. "Two factors might give voters pause. One is the number of injuries that have cost Johnson a couple of games or more per season over most of his career. The other is the pair of PED suspensions (and the resulting 14 games missed) that Johnson has incurred during his career."

While his past PED suspension could be a reason to keep him out of the Hall of Fame, and it might stop him from being a first-ballot, Barnwell is still predicting he'll eventually get in.

Barnwell explained why he thinks Johnson, even with likely pushback for his suspensions, will eventually be a Hall of Famer.

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"My belief is that it'll be tougher for Johnson to get in, but as time passes, I suspect more voters will focus on his body of work and push the legendary right tackle into the Hall," Barnwell writes.

While he might not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and there might be some heated debate over his inclusion in the Hall of Fame, Barnwell is predicting he will eventually be enshrined for having a legendary career.

He is a six-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro, two-time second-team All-Pro, two-time Super Bowl champion, and has played in 168 games across his 13-year NFL career heading into 2026.

If he were to add another Pro Bowl, All-Pro, or Super Bowl to his career totals, his case for the Hall of Fame would only be stronger, and maybe strong enough to get over the early-career blemish of his PED suspension.

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