Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles' OL Allen Barbre looks more comfortable at left guard

Published Jun. 8, 2015 11:59 a.m. ET

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The Philadelphia Eagles are asking a lot from career backup offensive lineman Allen Barbre. After having Barbre fill in at guard in 2014 due to injuries to starters Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans, the Eagles planned to start Barbre at right guard in 2015 after allowing Herremans to sign elsewhere. Incumbent left guard Evan Mathis' holdout and current status with the team has thrown a wrench in that plan. The Eagles have opted to move Barbre over to left guard with Mathis out.

For some players, switching sides of the formation has no effect on their play. For others, it is like playing a whole new position for the first time. According to Eagles' offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, he is actually seeing an even better version of Barbre at left guard.

"Better than on the right," Stoutland said, per Philadelphia Magazine. "He’s a lot more comfortable. I think he’s been a left-side player for a long time. He was not generally on the right. We moved him on the right last year because we needed him to play multiple positions. But he had always been more comfortable as a left-side player by far. Ask him that right now. He’ll tell you that."

Barbre could be switched back to right guard at any point this offseason, without much notice at all. Mathis is currently holding out for a new contract, and if he gets one at any point, he will be back at practice the next day. Mathis could also cave on his demands and return to the team when the mandatory practices begin and his bonus money is at stake. There is speculation that Mathis could be traded before the season starts. There are a lot of moving parts to the Eagles' offensive line, but Barbe is getting ahead of things by familiarizing himself with both the left and right guard positions.

(h/t Philadelphia Magazine)

Photo Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

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