Lane Johnson was going to try to play through the pain, but the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately sat the right tackle in Sunday's season-opening loss to the Washington Football Team.
In advance of a pivotal Week 2 tilt against the L.A. Rams, Johnson was asked point-blank on Derrick Gunn's "Gunn On One" podcast if he's going to play in Week 2.
"I'm gonna be out there, DGunn. I'm gonna be out there. So count on it," Johnson responded, via NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The star right tackle missing Week 1 played a big role in a disastrous blocking situation in both the run and pass for the Eagles. Carson Wentz was sacked eight times and Philly averaged just 3.4 yards per carry.
Johnson underwent surgery to clean up his injured ankle two weeks ago and said there was just too much swelling to play in Week 1. The 30-year-old noted that the surgery was a culmination of issues he's dealt with the past several seasons.
"I think the last two years, this has all kind of been leading up to this," Johnson said. "It hadn't really been 100 percent. I took the hit in Jacksonville and then the hit last year against the Giants. Kind of been on one leg for some time. Once I get the strength back, I'm ready to be a different player."
Getting Johnson back would go a long way in helping solidify an offensive line that has been riddled with injuries already.
"Going into the week, we've got a lot of work to do, especially me," Johnson said. "Gotta get back practicing. I need to be practicing with my team, getting healthy. I just want to be back out there with my guys. That's my main goal."
