Philadelphia Eagles: Lane Johnson talks up Andre Dillard

The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the best all-around rosters in the NFL, and adding Andre Dillard as their heir apparent at left tackle is just unfair.

The Philadelphia Eagles are going to be very good for a very long time, it seems.

The way general manager Howie Roseman has built this team to win now and from now on is pretty remarkable, especially at some of the most critical positions on the team.

Not many teams can just let Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks walk into free agency as a gesture of good faith.

That’s because not many teams have both a Super Bowl MVP and regular season MVP candidate at the QB position.

Most teams also don’t have an all-timer at left tackle and a guy ready to replace him with no starting position available elsewhere, but that’s exactly what the Eagles have with Jason Peters at left tackle and first-round pick Andre Dillard waiting in the wings.

The Eagles got an absolute steal in Dillard, even in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Dillard was projected to be a top 10-15 selection based on his elite pass protection skills, so when he was still on the board with the 22nd overall pick, the Eagles jumped up ahead of the Houston Texans to take him.

The Texans took Tytus Howard, a small school player who is working at left guard. They still have a need at left tackle.

The Eagles, however, do not.

Dillard is their second-string player, but he would be a starter for many teams in the NFL, either on the left or right side depending on what a team’s primary need is.

Normally, if a team had a left tackle and drafted a player like Dillard, he would probably go to the right side, but the Eagles’ right tackle is their better tackle at the present moment. Lane Johnson is one of the best in the NFL at the tackle position regardless if we’re talking the right or left side.

Johnson knows good tackle play when he sees it, and he’s been talking up Dillard at Eagles training camp.

Jason Peters, at the age of 37, is still playing at a high level, but the clock is definitely ticking. The Eagles probably won’t try to rush him out but the situation they have with Dillard to move off of a big money contract and replace it with a rookie contract next year is enviable, especially with the money Carson Wentz is now making.

The Eagles will take the savings where they can get it, although they have mastered the art of pushing cap hits down the line and creating very creative contracts to fit as much talent on their roster as possible.

Dillard is an elite athlete who can help this team throughout the year in some way, whether Peters or Johnson miss any time or if the Eagles want to add a sixth lineman at any point. Dillard is athletic enough he could probably go out there and play a third tight end role and snipe a touchdown from someone at some point.

Doug Pederson is creative. We’ll see what he can do for Dillard this year, but it’s clear the long-term plan is being set in motion and Dillard has impressed with the opportunities he’s been given.