The hierarchy at offensive tackle has changed somewhat in Philadelphia over the last two years. Behind Jason Peters and Lane Johnson sits Andre Dillard, a first-round selection out of Washington State, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and project lineman, Jordan Mailata. But the sudden changes influenced by the urgency to find Peters’ long-term replacement have left one of those names left out in the cold.
On the surface, it suddenly feels as though Vaitai is on the outside looking in. Dillard, by nature of value, already seems to have his mits wrapped around the spot that Vaitai once held…but not all is lost. This offseason, the TCU product who stands at 6’6, 315 lbs, seems like he could be making the transition to guard.
It makes sense. Brandon Brooks may well miss time with his Achilles injury and Wisniewski was brought back on a one-year deal. Seumalo was handed a contract extension this offseason and he was drafted two rounds before Vaitai. If Big V is going to get his payday, this may be the natural path. It’s not like he doesn’t have an impressive resume, either.
The fourth-year tackle has played in 39 games for the Eagles and has started on both sides of the bookshelf. As a rookie, Vaitai was asked to fill in for Lane Johnson during his suspension and was punished in his NFL debut by Ryan Kerrigan, a matchup that would later come back to haunt the Eagles over and over again. As time passed and experience was gained, Vaitai began to find his consistency.
Working closely with OL coach Jeff Stoutland, his second offseason was one of development and progress. But the Eagles would be forced to turn to Vaitai yet again when future Hall of Famer Jason Peters went down with injury. The project offensive tackle was called up to the plate once more.
This time however, at left tackle, Vaitai would face some of the most tenacious pass rushers in the game including the Broncos’ Von Miller, Khalil Mack and a strong-willed Seahawks defense to which he allowed two sacks, one QB hit and seven QB hurries, per PFF. The Rams, Giants, Panthers and Niners all presented unique challenges for the second-year tackle, but none more pivotal than the Minnesota Vikings and Everson Griffen…who tallied just 2 QB hits in the NFC CHampionship game of 2017.
In 2018, Vaitai was only asked to start once. He graded 80 out of 85 offensive tackles that year, per PFF and in preseason, allowed 2 sacks, 2 hits, and 9 hurries in just 95 snaps.
So with Dillard now cemented as the future book-end, and Mailata receiving glowing praise throughout his short career, maybe a change of heart is what’s needed.
“We have been cross-training him at guard some this year.” Mike Groh told reporters yesterday. “I think being able to cross-train and have versatile offensive linemen gives you a lot of flexibility through the course of a 16-week season, being that there are usually only about seven guys active on game day. He’s done a nice job. He has fit in there nicely and played well there at right guard at times.”
Mike Groh on Big V’s potential transition
Typically, for a tackle to transition inside, they need to have a very firm base and quick hands relying on physicality more than mobility due to matching up against ferocious nose tackles. Vaitai has the shorter arm length, athleticism, and composure needed to make the jump inside, but what’s his ceiling?
The Eagles are grooming Matt Pryor, Vaitai’s former TCU running-mate, at guard after all. It will be interesting to track his progress and see if he can maybe even challenge Wisniewski for that starting role once Training Camp arrives. Mike Groh seems encouraged with how things have gone so far.
“He has a lot of time on task at tackle. Feels very comfortable in the scheme and being able to communicate all of the calls and spit the calls out in a moment’s notice. He’s jumped in there and done a nice job.”
Versatility is rapidly becoming a must-have for offensive linemen at the highest level and Doug Pederson has preached the idea of ‘cross-training’ for quite some time, with heavy emphasis being placed on this offseason’s development. If Vaitai can prove he can tick all the boxes as a guard and that maybe a bump inside would suit his skill-set a little more than some expect, then we may just see another member of the Eagles’ 2016 Draft Class receive a contract extension.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
