Jason Peters doesn’t have a job, and the Eagles don’t have a right guard.
This is a no-brainer.
Howie Roseman should be on the phone right now with Peters, offering him a few million bucks to return to Philly and reinvent himself as a guard.
My first reaction Monday night when I heard about Brandon Brooks blowing out his Achilles was just incredible disappointment for Brooks, a class act whose 2018 and 2019 seasons both ended with injuries.
Brooks has been through so much the last few years, and he’s always had the best attitude about everything. Nobody is more positive, and nobody will attack rehab like Brandon.
But his 2020 season is over three months before it was scheduled to begin. And who even knows if there will be a season. And if there is what form it will take.
But if there is football this fall, the Eagles will need a right guard, and nobody makes more sense than Peters.
NFL
Even though he’s never played guard in his life.
If you don’t think J.P. would be a very good guard, you don’t know J.P.
Heck, he came into the NFL as an undrafted tight end, so he’s already changed positions once and made himself a Hall of Famer in the process.
Look at it from Peters’ vantage point: Free agency came and went three months ago and he doesn’t have a job. He’s said he wants to play into his 40s and right now he’s out of work.
“I still can get it done,” Peters said after the playoff loss in January. “If I couldn’t get it done, I would just walk away. But I can still go.”
Look at it from the Eagles’ vantage point: They just lost a three-time Pro Bowler for the year, and there’s a guy available who the coaches, the GM and the owner love, who was still playing at a decent level last year in his 17th season, who has a great relationship with O-line coach Jeff Stoutland and who is deeply respected and admired by everybody in that locker room.
There is literally no question in my mind Peters can swing inside.
A lot of older tackles move inside to guard, where you don’t need quite the same level of athleticism as tackle. Jermane Mayberry got benched at tackle, made a Pro Bowl at guard.
Peters might not be quite as nimble as he used to be, but the power is still there. At this point in his career, the 38-year-old Peters might even be better suited to play guard than tackle.
Andre Dillard is the left tackle now, but Peters is the ultimate team guy. He’s always made that clear. He just wants to compete. He just wants to be a part of something great.
He just wants to play football, and now he has a chance to do that.
“As long as I can do it, I’m going to go,” Peters said last summer. “Whether that’s tackle or guard, I can play all the way across the board.”
There are other options.
The Eagles could go with a young guy like Matt Pryor, who played OK in place of an injured Brooks in the Seattle playoff game, or rookie fourth-round pick Jack Driscoll. Maybe they can see what Jordan Mailata can do at guard. The Eagles like Sua Opeta and Nate Herbig enough to have both on the 53 for some or part of last year.
They could sign a veteran, like three-time Pro Bowler Larry Warford, Chris Long’s kid brother Kyle Long or veteran Ron Leary, who played last year in Denver for Eagles offensive assistant Rich Scangarello.
There’s only one option that gets a future Hall of Famer back on this roster.
There’s only one option that reunites the Eagles with one of the greatest players in franchise history.
And in an offseason where nobody even knows when new players will get to meet their coaches in person, there’s only one option that brings the Eagles someone his teammates and coaches already know and love.
It’s time to bring Jason Peters back to Philly. Not because he belongs here. But because he’s the best guy available.
Subscribe and rate the Eagle Eye podcast:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Stitcher / Spotify / Art19
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.