Andre Dillard‘s latest injury — a broken forearm — will cost him at least four weeks. The Eagles placed the veteran tackle on IR Tuesday. It might take more than the minimum timetable for the team’s swing tackle to return.
The fourth-year blocker was scheduled to undergo surgery today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A four- to six-week recovery period is expected. Dillard lost his left tackle spot to Jordan Mailata long ago, but the former first-round pick still provides depth for the Eagles.
This is familiar territory for Dillard, whom the Eagles traded up for in the 2019 draft. The Washington State product, who was once Jason Peters‘ blindside heir apparent, missed the entire 2020 season due to a biceps tear and suffered a knee sprain during Philadelphia’s 2021 training camp. The Eagles passed on his fifth-year option in May.
When healthy, Dillard has shown enough for the Eagles to keep him around. The team resisted trade overtures ahead of the 2021 deadline, after having seen Dillard hold his own at left tackle during Mailata’s time sidelined with an MCL sprain. Dillard made five starts last season and rated as a midlevel tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Mailata and Lane Johnson are entrenched as Philly’s tackle starters, but Dillard — once he returns from his latest setback — stands to provide nice insurance. Johnson has missed 17 games over the past three seasons, making said insurance essential for the Eagles. For a stretch without Johnson last season, the Eagles slid Mailata to the right side and kept Dillard at his natural spot. Dillard seeing more time in relief this year could create an interesting free agent market come 2023. Of course, the former No. 22 overall pick will likely have to stay healthy upon returning from the arm injury for such a market to form.
It will be interesting to see who the Eagles bring up. Will they cover the position by bring up Le’Raven Clark or bring up Britain Covey to return kicks and punts?
I really thought they should have traded him over the off-season. Stoutland seems to be excellent at developing young talent and they could have added a draft choice for him for next year.
Agreed.
I hope Veach from Kansas City Chiefs would go after him next year. He’s a natural left tackle. He would be better than O.Brown Jr who’s an overrated as a LT. Last season was his first season to play the whole year at that position. He was a RT at Oklahoma and drafted by Baltimore as a RT. Now Brown wanting Top5 or number one pay at LT.
Top five money for Brown might be silly, but it’s not like he didn’t show he can handle the left side plenty well.