Markel Bell’s time as an understudy to Lane Johnson was officially cut short this week when the future Hall of Famer abruptly announced his retirement.
But Bell is still following Johnson’s advice.
“I learned a lot from him,” Bell said on Wednesday. “I’m so grateful just to have him in training camp and just the few weeks he was here during the regular season. He gave me a lot of wisdom. And one thing he always said was, ‘Don’t make the game bigger than it is.’ I feel like in the NFL, a lot of people make it bigger than it is. That’s one thing he harped on.”
That advice is particularly important for Bell now that he is about to take over for Johnson at right tackle for the rest of the season.
You could understand how it might be daunting to replace an all-time great in a city that adores him. But Bell can’t think that way. He just has to play his game.
On Sunday, Bell was thrust into action against the Rams when the Eagles found out on short notice that Johnson was unavailable. The third-round rookie from Miami played every snap and understandably had some ups and downs. But he got through that game and is on a mission to get better from it.
“Kudos to the rook, man, stepping in and stepping up,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “He’ll tell you himself he probably wished he could have done a few things different, but that’s the beauty about Markel. He’s not afraid of criticism, he’s not afraid of hard work.”
Because Bell didn’t learn he was starting until Sunday morning, he didn’t have enough time to really think about it.
When did it finally sink in that he was starting a game in the NFL?
“When it finally kicked in is when the ball kicked off and we was out there for our first snap,” Bell said. “I was like, ‘Dang, I’m really out here.’”
The Eagles in April used the No. 68 overall pick to draft in the 6-foot-9 offensive tackle from Miami and have been impressed with him dating back to spring workouts. They also really liked what they saw from Bell during training camp.
In fact, when Johnson left the team for four days in camp, Bell took most of the first-team reps at right tackle. Not only did Bell get important reps next to right guard Tyler Steen, but the Eagles also got an extended look at Bell.
“I think Markel was somebody we were really excited to get here in the third round,” general manager Howie Roseman. “I think for him, having a full week of preparation will help him. He’s a 21-year-old rookie. Obviously, his best football is ahead of him. He’s got the right mentality, he’s got a lot of critical factors and excited to see him out there.”
When asked how much a full week of reps will help him, Bell said, “A lot.”
Mailata on Wednesday made the point that Bell shouldn’t try to fill Johnson’s shoes because that would be impossible. That was the advice Mailata lived by back in 2020 when he replaced the legendary Jason Peters at left tackle and it served him well.
And it doesn’t hurt that Bell got a few months to learn from Johnson. And, for what it’s worth, Johnson was a huge fan of Bell. Johnson called him one of the best rookies he had been around. Those words meant a lot to Bell during training camp but he knows they don’t help him now. He has to put in the work.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Bell hadn’t yet spoken to Johnson since he made his first-career start on Sunday. Bell said he hasn’t texted his former teammate because he wants to give him some time, but Bell is still carrying the lessons he learned from Johnson.
What does Bell want to show the rest of his rookie season?
“I just want to go out there and execute,” Bell said. “That’s all.”
That answer would make Johnson smile. The rookie isn’t making the game bigger than it is.
