Eagles Stay or Go 2022: Will Kelce come back for one more year?

Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2022, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.

We already looked at receivers, cornerbacks, running backs, linebackers and defensive tackles.

Up today: Interior offensive line.

Jack Anderson

Roob: Every time I see his name I think of the legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist from the 1970s. That Jack Anderson has as much of a chance to make the 2022 roster as this one.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: Anderson was a 7th-round pick out of Texas Tech by the Bills last year but then he ended up with the Eagles in September. Anderson didn’t play much in 2021 with most of his offensive snaps (74 of 81) coming in the meaningless regular season finale. But the Eagles like him; they even brought him back from IR as a backup. Anderson clearly has some developable skills and I think the Eagles are going to keep him around.

Verdict: Stays

Kayode Awosika

Roob: The Eagles like Awosika, who blocked for current Eagles tight end Tyree Jackson at Buffalo. There’s going to be a roster crunch for spots on the interior line because the Eagles have several promising young guys, so even if Awosika doesn’t make the initial roster I’d expect the Eagles to try to keep him around on the practice squad. Can play tackle, too.

Verdict: Goes

Dave: The Eagles liked the University at Buffalo prospect enough to keep him on the practice squad for his entire rookie season and then sign him to a futures deal when the season ended. He also offers some tackle/guard flexibility. So he’ll have a chance to make the 53-man roster but will clearly be a bubble player. I have him losing in a numbers game but the Eagles would love to get him back to the practice squad to keep developing him.

Verdict: Goes

Landon Dickerson

Roob: I was wary of the pick, especially in light of what happened with Sidney Jones, a 2^nd-round pick of four years earlier who also had an injury history. But Dickerson not only stayed healthy all year, he played at a Pro Bowl level once he settled in at left guard. I’ll be shocked if he’s not a 2022 Pro Bowler. And forget about him moving to center if Jason Kelce retires. He’s a guard.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: After a rough start at right guard coming off an ACL injury, Dickerson got better as the season went on and he is now looking like a potential cornerstone piece for the franchise. The Eagles gambled when they used a second-round pick on Dickerson because of his extensive injury history in college. He was able to stay relatively healthy in 2021, which should give the Eagles some confidence moving forward. They’ll have a decision to make as to where to play him in 2022 — I wouldn’t move him from left guard — but he’ll be a starter no matter what.

Verdict: Stays

Nate Herbig

Roob: Herbie has proven to be a valuable backup over the last few years, and even though he’s never been a projected opening-day starter, he’s still started 17 games over the last two years at the two guard spots, and Kelce is the only interior lineman to start more. Just a valuable guy to have around, and another late-round or undrafted o-line steal for Howie Roseman.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: The veteran backup guard is a restricted free agent, so the Eagles have a decision to make. They can tender him and pay a salary of $2+ million or they can let Herbig hit free agency and try to get him back for cheaper. He might be worth tendering. No, Herbig might never be a starter in the NFL but he’s been a valuable backup for the Eagles and has been needed plenty of times before in a starter role. He’s worth keeping around.

Verdict: Stays

Jason Kelce

Roob: It sure sound like Kelce is leaning toward coming back for a 12^th season, and while the Eagles would have a very good o-line without him – Jordan Mailata, Dickerson, Isaac Seumalo, Jack Driscoll, Lane Johnson – they will remain one of the best in the league with him. The crazy thing is Kelce, now 34 and 167 games into his career, is playing better than ever. Can’t imagine him no longer being a part of this team.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: Kelce is still weighing his two options: Come back to Philly for another year or retire. It’s really up to him. The Eagles would love to have him back if Kelce wants to return. A return in 2022 will take a new contract but both sides ought to be able to figure that out; the Eagles shouldn’t fuss about paying Kelce a high salary. My guess is that Kelce returns. He was relatively healthy in 2021 and played at an All-Pro level. He’ll walk away at some point but I think he’s back for at least one more season.

Verdict: Stays

Sua Opeta

Roob: Opeta is another valuable backup who always holds his own when he gets a chance to play. Like Herbig, he was undrafted and with a couple years under Jeff Stoutland has become a decent interior lineman. Whether there’s room on the roster for him in 2022 remains to be seen and probably depends what the Eagles do in the draft. At worse you’d expect the Eagles to at least try to keep him around on the practice squad. But I’m going to keep him. Howie doesn’t like jettisoning serviceable linemen.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: Opeta has played in 18 games with 4 starts over the last two years. The UDFA out of Weber State has impressive athleticism but was clearly a project when he arrived in 2020. He might not be a great player but Jeff Stoutland deserves to keep his guys and he likes Opeta, who will make under $1 million in 2022.

Verdict: Stays

Isaac Seumalo

Roob: I’d expect Seumalo to move to center if Kelce retires and switch from left to right guard otherwise. Either way, if he can stay healthy, he’s a solid piece of the puzzle. The injuries are a concern. Seumalo has played only 12 games the last two years. He’ll be a free agent after 2022, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens next year, but for now there’s going to be a spot somewhere for a healthy Seumalo.

Verdict: Stays

Dave: The Lisfranc injury is a really tough one to come back from but Seumalo suffered the foot injury in Week 3 so he has a long time to recover. This is the last year of Seumalo’s contract and this season he’s set to have a cap hit of over $7.6 million, one of the higher numbers on the team. I think he might have lost his left guard job to Dickerson but that’s OK. Seumalo can start at center if Kelce retires or he can start at right guard in Kelce returns. Seumalo has been very versatile during his career and the Eagles should feel like they can plug-and-play him pretty much anywhere.

Verdict: Stays