The hits just keep on coming for the Eagles’ offensive line. Andre Dillard has been ruled out for the season with a biceps injury, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. Dillard, a 2019 first-round pick, was reportedly having an inconsistent camp, following his up-and-down rookie campaign. Still, it’s a bad break for an Eagles O-Line that has already been spread thin by injuries.
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As Dillard gets set for surgery, the Eagles will scramble for solutions. They managed to quickly replace guard Brandon Brooks by re-signing Jason Peters (and shifting him to the interior), but Dillard’s absence creates a whole new problem for the Birds. Peters, in theory, could return to his usual post, but the Eagles would then have to figure out their right guard situation all over again.
If they put Peters at left tackle, the Eagles could draw from their current group of guards which includes Matt Pryor and fourth-round pick Jack Driscoll. They could also take things down to the wire by waiting a few days to see what shakes loose after cutdowns. There will undoubtedly be a number of proven guards and tackles available when teams trim down their rosters, but any new addition will have to learn the scheme in a hurry.
um what
Dude was done in 2019.
What a dumb statement.
A 1st rounder should be plug & play, not 2 redshirt years. Even if he didn’t get hurt he was looking at continuing to struggle this season.
God it sucks to be a Philadelphia sports fan besides 2017 & 2008. I’ve never seen a city have all 4 sports teams beseiged by injuries year in and year out
Respectfully said, you’re spoiled. 🙂
Peters at LT, PRYOR to start at RG, both rookie backups will make the team …
Best draft choice since Danny Watkins.
What terrible luck. I hope they don’t overreact and overpay on a trade for a stopgap solution. Who knows if this season will even be completed? Peters back to left tackle seems like the no-brainer decision, but will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Likely Peters back to LT and Matt Pryor at RG. That Peters signing bigger than ever now.
well that fkn sucks.
I presume Peters will shift to his usual post at left tackle. Pryor would be the immediate replacement at guard, but if the Eagles are interested in scanning the open market, Josh Kline was recently waived by Minnesota. He’s not a bad stopgap and could provide some competition. Otherwise, Philly will just have to wait until teams begin making roster cuts
Peters is a nice insurance policy but now they need another as he seemingly pulls up lame the 1st series of every game. Would like to see them sign Kline as depth.
Agreed with both, but the thing about having to replace Peters at guard is this: Peters was having to learn a new position anyway. None of us expect him to be starting in Philly two years from now, so unless the Eagles were expecting to retain him for a few more years after cutting him, teaching Peters guard was a stop-gap solution anyway. It’s not much value for having a player adjust his position dramatically on your dime, and is only is worth it if necessary.
What I am saying is this: having Peters learn guard and then signing a new LT off the street is essentially replacing two players. Allowing Peters to slide into his usual LT spot protects his level of play, retains some level of consistency for the staff, and allows them to focus on training a new guard without having to worry about tackle. An older player like Peters who in all likelihood does not have too many years left is best left doing what he knows best.
Not to mention the obvious fact that LT is a more valuable position overall than guard in most cases, and certainly when it comes to weighing the value of a likely HoF player at that spot versus a street free agent. You get more value from Peters at his old position and a free agent (like Josh Kline) at guard than a newly trained Peters at guard and a street free agent at tackle. Lastly, of course, Peters may very well be an upgrade over Andre Dillard, who is still acclimating to the NFL.
Dallas’ D line is going to have fun this year.
Lawrence, Griffen, Poe, and Aldon Smith are licking their chops.
Aldon Smith? That’s funny.
Eagles have some serious issues along the line because Lane Johnson has missed some practice time as well. He’s recovering from injury last year.
Eagles need to sign a veteran backup tackle. Now.
Go get REIFF