The OL Shuffle

Posted: August 28th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on The OL Shuffle

Just a day ago, I was writing about the Eagles confidence in left tackle Andre Dillard. While the coaches said all the right things publicly, we would have to see their actions to really know their true thoughts. Would Dillard keep the LT job? Would Jason Peters replace him?

Sometimes life makes decisions for you.

Ugh. I was hoping we would get to see Dillard play. If he failed, at least you would know. Not knowing if he’s good enough is frustrating.

So now Jason Peters will move back to LT. Matt Pryor will take over the RG spot. Your starting OL will be:

Peters – Seumalo – Kelce – Pryor – Johnson

That line can get the job done. The Eagles can win with that group. Peters remains a solid LT. My big complaint with him is just age. You have to move on at some point and that’s why I wanted Dillard this year. But having Peters back for a year due to an injury is fine.

Pryor is a player the Eagles are high on. He got some experience last year and showed potential. He won’t be Brandon Brooks, but could be an effective RG.

The real mystery now is the backups.

Jordan Mailata – He has the potential to be the backup OT. Mailata has played both LT and RT, but looked significantly better on the left side. He’s never played OT in an NFL game and has had an up and down Training Camp. You couldn’t be confident in him on the field right now. He’s got the potential to get the job done, but it would purely be a projection. Mailata needs to get a bunch of reps in practice to show whether the light is coming on for him.

Nate Herbig – Herbie, as Jeff Stoutland affectionately calls him, will be the top backup at C/G. He’s in Year 2 and has played well. Herbig has actually won some matchups with Fletcher Cox so that gives you an idea that he is a talented blocker. Big issue with him is his lack of experience. I do not think he could play OT.

Jack Driscoll – The rookie has played RT and OG this summer and has stood out to his coaches and teammates. Driscoll could become critical if Mailata can’t be the backup OT. Driscoll could take that role. He’s mostly played RT. The team could try to get him reps at LT to see how he fares over there. They could also consider sliding Seumalo to LT in a game and have Driscoll replace him at LG.

Sua Opeta – Mostly a pure OG, I’m not sure the Eagles can afford to keep him this year. Ideal for the practice squad.

Prince Tega Wanogho – The other rookie from Auburn becomes a wildcard. He was an outstanding LT for the Tigers and showed big time potential. An injury hurt his draft status, but he’s been healthy this summer. Wanogho has flashed, but needs to play better to push for a roster spot. Maybe this situation will bring out the best in him. There is a clear path to a roster spot if he can play well and convince the team he could play LT this season if needed.

The Eagles can shop around the league for a backup LT. The problem with that is that the other 31 teams aren’t exactly loaded with good OTs. The Eagles might be able to find someone they think can be effective as a backup, but you can’t count on that.

The first priority here has to be figuring out if Jordan Mailata can actually play in a game. After that, Wanogho is the next option. Always look to your own roster before looking elsewhere.

LINKS 

Jimmy Bama

Jeff McLane

Brandon Lee Gowton

The WRs continued to play well. Praise for a lot of different guys.

In his podcast, Fran Duffy had good things to say about LB T.J. Edwards. Excited to see him in action this year.

_

Comments are closed.