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The Philadelphia Eagles have another massive task on their hands along their offensive line. For the second time in the last half-decade, they need to replace their future Hall of Fame lineman. Jason Kelce retired, and Cam Jurgens stepped in. While he's had an up-and-down career, he's been perfectly fine compared to other centers around the league. But now, the Eagles must find Lane Johnson's replacement. And they might've already done so. As ESPN's Tim McManus highlighted, rookie offensive tackle Markell Bell, after some impressive practices at training camp, showed out in his preseason debut, enough so that there's real optimism he can take over for Johnson when the RT retires. Markell Bell might be ready to replace Lane Johnson for Eagles "The best rookie on the field for the Eagles was tackle Markell Bell, as has been the case all summer," McManus writes. "... With Lane Johnson coming off an injury-riddled season and likely entering his last NFL campaign, Bell's emergence appears right on time." It's still too early to crown Bell as the successor to Johnson at right tackle, especially since he hasn't actually played a down in the NFL regular season. But after the buzz coming out of training camp and now his preseason debut, it's getting hard to ignore. Bell, the 6-foot-9 offensive tackle out of Miami, has shown enough to believe he could be the future at right tackle. Despite his massive size, Bell has been showing good mobility, and there's plenty of optimism about his game developing even more in the NFL as he learns from Johnson. The No. 68 overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft appears to be making a real case as the future right tackle of the Eagles. That was the hope when they took him with a top-70 draft pick, but rookies don't pan out all of the time. Eli Stowers hasn't been all that great, and Makai Lemon has been banged up for a while now. But Bell, the rookie tackle out of Miami who's just 22 years old, showed enough during his preseason debut to get Eagles fans imagining a future with Bell and Jordan Mailata at the tackle spots well beyond 2026. While he still needs to prove himself further, especially against top-tier NFL pass rushers, the initial look at Bell should have Eagles fans and the franchise very excited to see how he develops moving forward. More NFL news: - Ben Johnson responds to Liam Coen’s pointed Caleb Williams comment - Lamar Jackson is already predicted to be a Hall of Fame QB for Ravens per ESPN - Cowboys QB Dak Prescott projected by ESPN to be behind Lions QB Jared Goff for HOF chance - Packers edge Micah Parsons already predicted to be on cusp of Hall of Fame - Why Shedeur Sanders vs. Deshaun Watson QB competition is taking so long for Browns