With OTA’s on the horizon, the Eagles’ offensive line will, as usual, be the one position group without a lot of holes or questions. However, there are plenty of names to keep an eye on when it comes to development.
OL on the Roster
Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, Lane Johnson, Andre Dillard, Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta, Cam Jurgens, Jack Anderson, Brett Toth, Le’Raven Clark, William Dunkle, Kayode Awosika, Josh Sills
Last Chance Injury
Isaac Seumalo
Isaac Seumalo is not a bad guard by stretch of the imagination. In fact, last year Seumalo was graded at a 75 by Pro Football Focus which is just close to “excellent”.
The problem is that Seumalo just hasn’t played anywhere near the amount of games needed to justify a contract extension. Over the last two years, Seumalo has played a grand total of 12 games. In 2020, the former third-round pick had a knee injury that cost him the year. In 2021, it was Lisfranc surgery.
With only one more year guaranteed on his contract and plenty of hungry dogs behind him, Seumalo needs to hit the ground running. A good offseason program/training camp will all but guarantee him a starting spot on the OL.
The Young Bucks
Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson
Two second-round players whose selections drew criticism initially could have huge roles to play this year. Landon Dickerson dealt with his ACL recovery early last year to have a fine season at LG. Jurgens was handpicked by future HOFer, Jason Kelce as the heir apparent.
A strong offseason program will be everything the team needs to see the development of both players. Jurgens was super athletic coming out of Nebraska and Dickerson has the mauler mentality to be able to play anywhere on the interior OL. These are two fun players to watch as training camp comes around.
The Trade Block
Andre Dillard
It’s been a tough start to the career of Andre Dillard. First, he was forced to play RT, a position he openly said he wasn’t comfortable with, and struggled. Then, he missed the entire 2020 season with a torn bicep, and then lost a position battle to Jordan Mailata who just put up an All-Pro-like season at LT.
In reality, there just aren’t many places to put Dillard. He’s not a player who can play other positions along the offensive line, and when he does play at Tackle, his ceiling is nowhere near that of Mailata. He’s a player that, with a good training camp, could very well be traded for secondary help or a higher round pick before the season.
Developmental Pieces
Jack Driscoll, and Brett Toth
If Toth and Driscoll have very good offseason programs and play well in the preseason, I think the chance of Dillard getting traded goes even higher. Driscoll and Toth have both shown positive signs in their first couple of seasons. Driscoll unfortunately, has not been healthy enough to develop into a full-time starter at guard, and Toth hasn’t had near enough of the chances Driscoll has had. In the end, as long as Jeff Stoutland is the OL Coach, the Eagles can be able to be patient with young players like Toth and Driscoll because of how solid their overall depth is.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
