The Eagles have had a revolving door at the Right Guard position and will have a new face again in 2025. This will be the team’s 7th different starter at RG in week one in as many years. Who that starter will be is anyone’s guess.
Philadelphia will have four options for their opening-day RG job: Tyler Steen, Kenyon Green, a draft pick, or acquiring someone via trade. While Steen would appear to have the inside track for the job, it looked that way last offseason and ended with him as a backup to Mekhi Becton. He will have to earn it all off-season, as the team will not be handing over the position on their Super Bowl-defending team without competition.
A Changing of the Guard for the Eagles:
Tyler Steen
The Eagles selected Tyler Steen in the 2023 NFL draft during the third round, with the 65th overall pick, in hopes of transitioning Steen to be their right guard. Tyler was primarily a tackle during college, but many questioned his ability to play tackle in the NFL due to his arm’s length, and he was trained at guard under Eagles OL coach Jeff Stoutland once he arrived in Philadelphia.
Steen’s athleticism was evident, and the job appeared to be his to lose until Jason Kelce returned for another season, then, he was in a camp battle with Cam Jurgens (who was drafted to play center) for the RG job. Jurgens appeared to be the favorite early on and won the job in camp.
In 2024, Tyler found himself in a battle for the job again, despite Kelce retiring and Cam moving to his natural position. The competition for RG ended the same as in 2023, with Tyler as a backup. Philadelphia added Mekhi Becton to the roster, and Steen fought through injuries during training camp, eventually giving way to Becton for the job. Tyler hopes that the third time will be the charm and that 2025 is the year he takes over the job.
Steen played relatively well in his three starts at RG, and during the games he had to enter due to injury for the Eagles over the last two years, but he will need to show the team more to be their long-term starter moving forward. He did play in the NFCCG against the Commanders when the Birds scored 55 points and 229 rushing yards, which is an encouraging sign.
Kenyon Green
The Eagles could start Kenyon Green, whom they acquired via trade when they dealt Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to Texas. Kenyon seems destined to be a developmental player for the Birds this year, but so did Mekhi Becton last season. Green brings a similar pedigree and a lot of tools with him to the City of Brotherly Love.
Kenyon is a former top-15 pick who was drafted into the league at the young age of 20. Green has the size, 6’4, 325 lbs, and the raw talent and traits that excite the organization regarding his potential. He has made 23 NFL starts and could flourish in a heavy run-scheme offense. Kenyon did struggle during his time in Houston, but after watching the film, every OL on the team did.
Coach Stoutland is the best OL coach in the business and could bring out the talent that made him a first-round pick, which has yet to reveal itself in the National Football League.
The rogue options
The Eagles have also brought in many OLs for visits this draft cycle. Two of my favorite fits are Charles Grant and Tate Ratledge.
Charles Grant, IOL, William & Mary, is an explosive, strong player with 35+ inch arms. He played 227 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 and lost eight snaps. His 96.48% win rate was good for 6th in class at iOL. Charles has a wrestling background, which I LOVE for OLs. He is a fluid, disciplined athlete blessed with vice grips for hands. He did not play for Georgia, but he has the mentality to fit in from day one.
Tate Ratledge, IOL, Georgia, has the ideal size, 6’6, 308 lbs, and athleticism that Eagles OL Coach Jeff Stoutland loves to bring into Stoutland University. He is also fast and showed off his speed at the combine with a 4.97 forty. Tate is a devastating run blocker and finisher. He identifies interior pass rushes quickly and gets to the next level just as fast.
The Eagles seem interested in drafting an OL as it has been the position they have visited with the most thus far in the process.
You can see everyone the Eagles have met with here.
Trade candidates
Howie Roseman could trade for an RG. Making a deal for a player late in the offseason is something he has done in the past, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson for example, his first tenure in Philadelphia. The Eagles are armed with three 3rd-round picks in 2026, and they become more valuable as soon as the 2025 NFL Draft is over.
I do not know why more teams do not value future picks as much as the Eagles do, but I digress. That is a story for another day. I do not know of any targets Howie could be lurking after, but you can never count him out from making a move if there is a young, controllable, starting RG the organization sees as a fit.
As always, thank you for reading!
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