We all love Runyan, but is he still a starter in this league?


Good things come in 3s right? So Vick is back. Westbrook is back (or on the verge of coming back). What is # 3? How about Runyan being cleared to return to the football field AND coming back to the Eagles?

Yes I am fully aware that Big Jon's best days are behind him. Yes I am aware that he is coming off of major knee surgery. But (and despite the team reports hinting otherwise) I think the Eagles would be wise to resign Runyan.

Take a look at the OL rankings/charts on this website. Last season Runyan, playing injured, was still in the upper echelon of Right Tackles. (Per the website, Stacy Andrews is the 2nd lowest ranked RT. Maybe the Eagles are smart in keeping him at RG!)

- Runyan: 629 pass plays, only 7 sacks allowed for an average of .0111 sacks per pass play.

As an Eagles fan I would take a repeat of these numbers from tackles Peters, Justice, or Andrews this season.

Maybe Runyan can land himself a starting position elsewhere, but I see no downside of the Eagles offering/signing Runyan to a back-up position. Maybe the back-up position turns into a starting nod as the season progresses.

Until proven otherwise I will trust the coaching and media reports that Justice has turned the corner. Maybe the big guy is finally ready to deliver on his 2nd round (some scouts even had Winston as a possible 1st rounder) talent. With Runyan coming back from surgery, at this point, I actually feel more comfortable with Justice starting the season.

As I stated before I have no faith in Shawn Andrews. Sure he is better than both Justice and Runyan. But until he actually practices and plays he doesn't count to this fan. Too many things can go wrong with banking on Shawn performing well for an entire season.

So come on Eagles, give us that 3rd piece of good news. Signing Runyan seems like a pretty damn good insurance policy to this fan.