Madden 26 is gearing up for its release on August 14th, and they recently revealed the members of this year’s 99 club. Of the seven that made the exclusive group this year, one of them stands out as a surprising, but well-deserved addition. It’s none other than the Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson.
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It’s not that Johnson’s inclusion is controversial. Most agree he’s been an elite offensive lineman for years. But he’s not a flashy name, especially when compared to the other 6 members. His inclusion also makes him the first Eagles o-lineman to make the 99 club ever.
While most glossed over Johnson’s addition to the prestigious group for the reasons above, former offensive lineman Taylor Lewan did not. On his podcast, Lewan praised Johnson and gave him his due, while asserting that only the most casual fans won’t care about this inclusion.
“Lane Johnson is an individual that, respectfully, no one’s going to care. People who are just casual fans of the game are going to see that Lane Johnson is in the 99 club and be like, ‘Well, Trent Williams got in a couple of years ago. I guess they’re just letting offensive linemen in.’ … Lane Johnson is a staple of the Philadelphia Eagles,” Lewan professed on his show, Bussin’ With The Boys.
Entering his 13th season with the team, it’s hard to deny that Johnson is an essential pillar in the Eagles’ roster construction. He’s been a Pro Bowler three years in a row and has continued to make All-Pro teams into his 30s. He’s aged like a fine wine.
Later, though, Lewan argued that most special offensive linemen he’s ever met tend to age the same way.
“That’s the thing with offensive linemen, though. They age gracefully, and the special ones keep it going at a high level for a long time. Lane is a dude that puts in the work… Just a quiet individual who goes against guys like Von Miller, Micah Parsons, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, TJ Watt,” Lewan added.
It’s a tough task that Johnson is always assigned. But he puts his head down and never complains about the work. If anything, the most controversial thing he’s ever been caught up in was his continued false start leg kick, which he still gets away with.
That said, it’s not that Lewan isn’t excited about the other members of the 99 club. He just wanted to take the time to hype up a fellow lineman. “I’m excited about Josh Allen, Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, Justin Jefferson, all of those guys.”
Lamar Jackson and Saquon Barkley are the final two that round out the group of 7. It’s an elite club of players who mostly deserve their high ratings for their contributions last season. It’s also back-to-back years we’ve seen a running back and an offensive lineman on the same team make it.
All in all, though, do you think Johnson deserved to make it into the 99 club? Certainly, nobody would’ve batted an eye if he didn’t.
Regardless, it’s nice to see offensive linemen starting to get some love in the series again. This now marks four straight installments with an o-lineman in the group.
