Tackle Lane Johnson back with Eagles after suspension

One day after he admitted that the Eagles "got whupped up front," Eagles coach Chip Kelly welcomed right tackle Lane Johnson back to the NovaCare Complex.

Johnson's four-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs came at the worst possible time for the Eagles. A rash of injuries forced the team to start three reserve interior linemen Sunday in a 26-21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The offensive line was the main reason the Eagles totaled only 213 yards, rushing for 1.8 yards per carry.

Kelly said after the game that "there's help on the way," and the help came in the form of Johnson, a 6-foot-6, 317-pound offensive lineman who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 draft. The Eagles activated Johnson from the reserve/suspended list on Monday and cut Kevin Graf. Now, it's just a matter of whether Johnson is able to step right into the lineup after the four-week layoff.

"He looked good, so it's just the unknown," Kelly said. "We haven't seen him in four weeks, so where is he at? How does he process things? How quickly does he get back into the swing of things? Where is he from a health standpoint?"

Kelly met briefly with Johnson on Monday morning. Johnson then met with the training staff for a physical to get cleared to play.

Johnson spent the last four weeks training at the Athletes' Performance Institute in Frisco, Texas. There were other players present, so Johnson was able to take part in football activities. He trained at that facility instead of a local facility at the behest of strength and conditioning coach Josh Hingst. One of the reasons was the nutritional program available so Johnson could remain in shape.

Johnson is expected to practice Tuesday. Kelly said the Eagles have made no determinations about what the starting offensive line will be on Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. Against the 49ers, only left tackle Jason Peters started in his usual spot. Todd Herremans moved from right guard to right tackle, with backups composing the entire interior line: Matt Tobin at left guard, David Molk at center, and Dennis Kelly at right guard.

However, it is expected that Johnson will start at right tackle and Herremans will return to right guard. Kelly must determine whether to keep Tobin at left guard or play Dennis Kelly or veteran Wade Smith at that spot. Smith also could challenge Molk at center, although Molk is more of a natural at the position. The Eagles will need to play backups at left guard and center until the injured Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce are ready to return in November at the earliest.

Molk and Tobin made their first NFL starts on Sunday against one of the NFL's toughest defenses.

"I thought David did a good job [and] competed," Kelly said. "There were a few times that his lack of size was probably an issue for him, where he got bulled a couple times, but I thought overall for his first time [starting], I thought he did a good job."

Tobin drew a difficult matchup against all-pro defensive lineman Justin Smith. It did not appear to go well. Kelly said that Tobin "got banged" in the first half, causing him to limp, but he stayed in the game. Tobin missed the previous three weeks with an ankle injury.

"I thought for the first time for those guys [starting] in a football game, they held their own," Kelly said.

The struggles of the line affected the entire offense. Kelly cannot call the game the way he would with the starting line in place, and some marquee players are not playing the way they would in better conditions.

"Everybody is aware of what's gone on. ... People are pressing and trying to make things [happen that aren't there]," Kelly said. "I think everybody has just got to kind of settle down and go back to playing football."

Running back LeSean McCoy is averaging 2.7 yards per carry, a sharp decline from his 5.1 yards per carry last season. Riley Cooper is averaging only 8.3 yards per catch after averaging 17.8 yards last season. Quarterback Nick Foles already has four interceptions this season, and two were the by-product of pressure on Sunday.

"We set a very high standard here in terms of the success we had last year, but there's a different group of guys playing right now, and I think that's the reality of it," Kelly said.

The coaching staff met Monday morning to watch the 49ers loss and begin correcting the mistakes. The return of Johnson will likely be one major change to the lineup. The line will begin to take shape when the Eagles practice at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday.

"We're going to look at everything now," Kelly said.