Eagles' O-Lineman: 'When You See Greatness, You Just Can't Let Go Of It'

For parts of seven seasons, the Eagles' Brett Toth has toiled in relative anonymity as a jack-of-all-trades on Jeff Stoutland's offensive line.

The book on the former Army Black Knight is that he can play all five positions in a pinch. This time around, it's mostly been at center before a shift to left guard that's been elevated due to injuries to Pro Bowl starter Landon Dickerson and backup Kenyon Green.

On Tuesday's short practice on the eve of the Cleveland Browns' visit for two joint practices and a Saturday preseason game, it was Toth who was stationed between Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens and All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata.

Toth first arrived in Philadelphia in 2019 when President Donald Trump pushed forward policy to facilitate athletic pursuits for military service academy student-athletes. Toth had already started his two-year commitment to serve in the Army as a second lieutenant before being granted a deferment.

The Eagles signed Toth in August of 2019, understanding he had dropped significant weight and needed to build back up to what is currently a 6-foot-6, 304-pound frame. The idea was to waive Toth and let him build back up into playing shape on the practice squad, but the Arizona Cardinals scuttled that by claiming Toth.

By 2020, the Eagles returned the favor by claiming Toth off waivers from the Cardinals in October. He's been in Philadelphia since, except for a five-week stint in Carolina during the 2023 season when he was signed off the Eagles' practice squad.

When the Panthers waived Toth, three days later, he was back in Philadelphia on the PS.

Over that extended period, Toth has played in 17 games with the Eagles, with one start. That's hardly a resume that screams being part of an organization for seven seasons, but Stoutland loves the player, especially his "violent hands."

"I don't know what they taught him in the Army gut he's a bad man," Stoutland said of Toth.

With Dickerson out for the next few weeks after meniscus surgery, a path to a small opportunity may have unveiled itself for Toth, who spoke of his desire to stay close to what Philadelphia had built in the offensive line room over the weekend.

"It’s in different people’s DNA, when you see greatness -- whatever facet it’s in, whether it’s you doing it yourself or just our o-line room as a whole -- you just can’t let go of it,” said Toth. “And that’s what I see on a day-to-day basis.

"I love those guys, I love the work they put in, and just the mindset that we have as a whole."

That mindset has been passed down from now-departed stars like future Hall of Famers Jason Kelce and Jason Peters, and perennial Pro-Bowlers like Brandon Brooks.

“A big part of being a vet, especially in our room – where it’s different than a lot of places – is that vets are actually there to bring them with them,” Toth said. “And that’s part of why the ancestry of the O-line room here is like that, because you have guys who care about the legacy of our room and the next guy that comes after them.”

Like anyone, Toth would like an opportunity to play.

"I’m sure down the road, I’ll have that question of, ‘What if … I should have done this … made more money somewhere else?’" he said.

However, that's quickly quelled by what Toth experiences every day at the NovaCare Complex.

"At the end of the day, I got to witness an unbelievable run that a lot of people have never been able to see," Toth said. "And I’m grateful to be a part of it, in what role or way I can be.”