How seven years of persistence could earn Eagles vet Brett Toth a starting spot
How seven years of persistence could earn Eagles vet Brett Toth a starting spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Here's how long Brett Toth has been an Eagle:
-He was teammates with Alshon Jeffery, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Orlando Scandrick.
-Some of the coaches who were here when he arrived were Mike Groh, Carson Walch and Matt Burke.
-Others in his rookie class were Nate Herbig, T.J. Edwards and Miles Sanders.
Toth is one of the weirdest stories in recent Eagles history. He never plays. But he never leaves.
Only 15 offensive linemen in Eagles history have been here longer than Toth, including all-timers like Tra Thomas, Lane Johnson, Jason Peters, Jon Runyan and Jason Kelce.
Yet he's only played more than one offensive snap in three games in his life that weren't blowouts or meaningless.
He's been released eight times, had brief dalliances with the Cards and Panthers and hasn't gotten on the field in an Eagles uniform since the end of the 2021 season.
Toth is one of only six players currently on the roster who played under Doug Pederson (along with Lane Johnson, Jake Elliott, Dallas Goedert, Jordan Mailata, Jalen Hurts and Matt Pryor).
Yet here he is, taking 1st-team reps at left guard in Landon Dickerson's absence.
How has Toth survived so long in a business where an undrafted free agent from Army is fighting the odds on a daily basis?
Do what they tell me to do, be an asset in the locker room, the meeting room," he said after a recent practice. For me, it's been an interesting role. I'm sure you all have seen it over seven years. As a backup, you don't really get set at one position. You just kind of work at the position that's available, whatever they tell you to do. And just be able to kind of pass the culture along to the new guys and just impart whatever wisdom that's been imparted on me over the years."
Toth began his Eagles career in 2019 as a tackle but these days practices at guard, with occasional reps at center.
When the Eagles reconvened Tuesday after a day off Monday, Toth was with the starting offense at Dickerson's left guard spot. It doesn't mean he'll finally get his chance to be an NFL starter. Dickerson, who suffered a minor knee injury at practice Sunday, could be back in time for the opener Sept. 4 against the Cowboys. And if Toth struggles, Darian Kinnard, Matt Pryor, Trevor Keegan or someone else could start getting those 1st-team reps at any time.
Clearly Toth brings tremendous value to the Eagles because Jeff Stoutland isn't in the business of keeping guys around for seven years who don't.
Toth hasn't been made available for interviews since Dickerson got hurt, but he spoke last week about the challenges he's faced along the way during his improbable career.
I wouldn't say (I've been) lucky," Toth said. Fortunate is a good word. I'm one of those people that you kind of make your own luck. Was it Ben Franklin that once said, It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get?' Obviously, I haven't worked hard enough because I'm not where I want to be yet. But yeah, fortunate is definitely a good word.
Just being in this room, the culture you all have seen over the years. I mean, you just go through the ancestry of the offensive line room, from the Jason Peters, the Jason Kelses, the Brandon Brooks, the Isaac Seumalos, and we're in it now with Lane Johnson, then comes the Jordan Mailatas, the Cam Jurgens, the Landon Dickersons. I mean, it's over what, the past, shoot, only 10, 15 years, those are the guys that are in there.
Unbelievable, when you look at it, and the standard they set, I feel like that's also a hard part, especially for me. Being here for so long is when that's your standard, I'm very hard on myself. That's a pretty difficult standard to match in a lot of cases.
But again, anytime I'm in there filling in whether Landon's taking less reps, if I'm at left guard, right guard, it's being able to perform to that standard to where Jordan (Mailata's) comfortable. He's not having to change his game at all. Whether I'm next to Lane, he's not having to change his game at all."
Toth, now 28, has earned about $3 million in his career after playing at a college that never threw the ball, going undrafted, bouncing on and off the waiver wire and spending long chunks on practice squads.
He's worked for every penny.
He's said the hardest thing has been balancing staying with the Eagles, a franchise he loves, a culture he believes in, with no chance of starting or going somewhere where he might at least be able to compete for a job.
I'm going to be a backup here with these guys ... and just accept that role that, You know, I'm gonna be a backup here with these guys,'" he said. Shoot, that's a love-hate relationship, honestly. Tough one, because coming here, you see the room we have. You know, last year, I think all five guys got all pro votes, at least one. Yeah. I mean, that's happened multiple times. You know, a lot of organizations have never been that fortunate.
But that's something I've kind of internally had to battle because with that realization, you know you'd have a better chance going somewhere else. But ... 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. And that's what I see on a day-to-day basis. I love those guys. I love the work they put in, just the mindset that we have as a whole. And I'm sure down the road I'll have that question of, What if? Should I have done this, made more money somewhere else?'
But at the end of the day, I got to witness an unbelievable run that a lot of people have never been able to see. I'm grateful to be a part of it in what role or way I can be."