Andre Dillard Will Have Success With the Eagles
When the Philadelphia Eagles selected Andre Dillard with the 22nd overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Eagles anticipated they were landing the best pure left tackle in the draft.
Daniel Jeremiah had Dillard ranked as his 11th best prospect in the entire draft. Fast forward a year and some fans are questioning the organization’s belief in Dillard’s readiness.
Throughout training camp, Dillard was looking solid and showing the coaching staff and fans his elite footwork and pass protection. That body of work carried over to the preseason where he was ranked as the 3rd best offensive tackle in the preseason by NFL.com.
Pro Football Focus also gave Dillard an 83.8 pass protection grade which ranked first among all rookie offensive linemen. Whenever Dillard stepped in for Jason Peters he played extremely well.
Against Chicago, in Week 9 he held Khalil Mack, one of the NFL’s premier edge rushers, to zero pressures.
After that performance, some Eagles fans questioned whether making Peters the starter again was the correct move.
Many media members and fans anticipated an announcement about Jason Peters moving on from the Eagles, similar to the organization’s announcement with Nick Foles at the combine last year, however that was not the case. This caused speculation about the Eagles’ confidence in Dillard. The rumors that made some Eagles fans question the organization’s confidence in him are simply just that, rumors.
Adam Schefter stated, “There’s zero chance they’re trading Andre Dillard” on 97.5 the Fanatic on March 11th which should tell Eagles fans the organization believes in Dillard.
The Eagles are in such a unique situation with Jason Peters to where they wanted to respectfully let him hit free agency. With the known relationship between Peters and owner Jeffrey Lurie, it shouldn’t be a surprise they are keeping the door open for him. The Eagles should evaluate all of their options, and of course, letting Peters hit free agency is a difficult move but it is the correct one.
With the veterans, the Eagles have on the offensive line and outstanding coach in Jeff Stoutland, Andre Dillard is in a situation where he will succeed and thrive. The Eagles have built an outstanding infrastructure for young offensive linemen to succeed. This is proven by the development of Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai.
Dillard will continue to develop and improve on his already elite characteristics.
Although he has massive shoes to fill, the Eagles coaching staff, front office and fans should have the utmost confidence in Dillard to succeed.
Featured Image: Yong Kim/Inquirer.com
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Categorized:Eagles