02-23-2022, 02:04 PM
I wouldn't give anything of substance for Dillard, for a few reasons. First, he stinks. I don't care what his PFF grades are, he's just not a very good player at this point. He was a steaming turd as a rookie, injured in year 2, and extremely mediocre last year. (This is coming from a guy who lives in the Philly area, watches every Eagles game, talks Eagles with co-workers on a daily basis, and listens to a lot of Philly sports talk radio.) Everybody who's seen him play can tell there's something missing in his game, and he's generally persona non grata up here. Second, he can't stay healthy. True, he only missed one full season with the torn bicep, but he always has a bunch of little nagging injuries that have hampered his progress. He has a rep of not being able to step up when needed. Third, he's a terrible run blocker. Terrible. Gets no push whatsoever, and is continuously pushed in the backfield. Fourth, he can ONLY play LT. He's not a versatile O-lineman at all, or even a swing tackle. He gets destroyed on the inside and simply can't play RT. When Lane Johnson was injured this season they had to move Mailata to RT and pay Dillard at LT. And the Eagles had a revolving door at the guard spot this year (Brooks, Seumalu, Dickerson, Driscoll, Herbig, Toth all started and played) but Dillard couldn't get on the field there.
He was on the block last trade deadline, Eagles were demanding a "high" day 2 pick for him. That's a starter's price. If we wanted to start him, we'd have to move Jonah to RT, but we don't know whether Jonah can play RT, and frankly Jonah is a better player than Dillard.
All that said, Dillard is still young (sort of -- he'll be 27 next year), he's gotten bigger and stronger each year, and he has improved significantly from his rookie year. So he could eventually be a good NFL player. But I wouldn't give up too much for him right now because I don't see him helping this team next year -- the last year of his rookie deal -- except as backup left tackle. If the Eagles trade him, it will likely be a team who needs a starting LT and is willing to take a chance on (and pay more for) someone who could eventually be one.
He was on the block last trade deadline, Eagles were demanding a "high" day 2 pick for him. That's a starter's price. If we wanted to start him, we'd have to move Jonah to RT, but we don't know whether Jonah can play RT, and frankly Jonah is a better player than Dillard.
All that said, Dillard is still young (sort of -- he'll be 27 next year), he's gotten bigger and stronger each year, and he has improved significantly from his rookie year. So he could eventually be a good NFL player. But I wouldn't give up too much for him right now because I don't see him helping this team next year -- the last year of his rookie deal -- except as backup left tackle. If the Eagles trade him, it will likely be a team who needs a starting LT and is willing to take a chance on (and pay more for) someone who could eventually be one.
