Dec 15, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) spikes the ball after quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) scores against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
It's the middle of the summer, so naturally NFL fans have nothing to do, but start needless discourse about what players are better than others.
The latest comparison is between Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson and Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell. Various accounts on social media have gone back-and-forth about who's better.
Sewell earned first-team all-pro this past season, which caused some stir with Eagles players.
On Jan. 10, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane posted a picture which showed a piece of paper taped to Johnson's locker, comparing Sewell's and his stats.
Johnson never spoke too much about the distinction. He didn't need to. His resume speaks for itself with five all-pro selections. During Sewell's first few years in the league, he's earned a couple.
Five months on people are still discussing the two players because they have nothing better to do. It's pretty ridiculous as pointed out by former nine-year NFL veteran and former Kansas City Chiefs offensive linemen Mitchell Schwartz.
"The Lane vs Sewell debate is hilarious. Almost everyone who's non-biased and who you can trust in evaluating the position has come to the same conclusion," Schwartz said in a social media post Wednesday. "You're arguing over best and second best! It's not like one guy good, one guy bad. Classic 2025 (social) media stuff here."
Penei Sewell was credited for a sack here, Lane Johnson wasn’t 🤔 pic.twitter.com/RN7SGqFLB6
— Eazy (@SpeakEZsports_) June 26, 2025
As Schwartz explained, Johnson and Sewell are clearly the two best players at their position in the NFL. It's not really close. That's why there's so much needless talk about who's better. People can compare stats for days — some of which benefit Johnson and others favor Sewell — and nobody is going to have their mind changed.
Johnson is the best pass-blocker in the league, while Sewell is the best run-blocker in the league, with a 95.7 PFF grade since 2023, the best in the NFL. Johnson has the experience with 12 seasons under his belt, while Sewell has risen to the top in four years.
Media and fans often get caught up in needless debates rather than actually enjoying what both players have to offer. Is there a better player? Probably, but deciding that should be left up to experts like Schwartz.
"And then you have a couple highlight clips of one guy doing something the other CAN do, but isn't asked to, and that's supposed to sway the debate," Schwartz said. "Sewell is a great athlete for his weight, but Lane is one of the best athletes to have ever played the position.
*takes one look at the Lane Johnson/Penei Sewell discourse* pic.twitter.com/l3rQj5TMza
"Moral of the story: they're both really good! Lane is unquestionably the better player. He's a freak athlete, he's playing his best ball right now, and he's pretty easily better at the more important part of being an Offensive Tackle. Second to that guy ain't bad, ya know."
Schwartz explains the situation perfectly. Even though he thinks Johnson overall is better, he doesn't feel the need to bring Sewell down. Any rational person can understand his thinking, but sometimes NFL discourse isn't rational.
Editor's Note: Only sometimes?)
It's full of hot take culture and who's overrated and who's not. It's exhausting discourse that gets rehashed over and over. With Johnson and Sewell, just enjoy both while you can. They're both fantastic players at the height of their powers. Even though Johnson is still 35, he proclaims he hasn't even hit his peak yet. Sewell was one of the best linemen in the league as soon as he stepped foot in it.
Stop making it more complicated than it needs to be. Both are all-world players, there's no need to dispute that.
