February 19, 2022
Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice
PHILADELPHIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Isaac Seumalo #56 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field on September 19, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Kate Frese for PhillyVoice)
Now that the Philadelphia Eagles' 2021 season is over, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at which players will likely be back with the team in 2022, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll look at the guards.
In previous offseasons, we've tackled each positional group "in order," as in, quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, and then onto the defense. Just as a quick programming note, I'm going to jump around a little more this year, so if you're wondering if you missed the quarterbacks, no, we haven't published that one yet.
On the polls below, they are your votes on what you think the Eagles should do, not necessarily what you think they will do. Please think of them more as approval polls.
Previous stay or go articles:
Jonathan Gannon | Nick Sirianni
Running back | Wide receiver | Defensive end | Center | Offensive tackle
Linebacker | Tight end | Safety | Defensive tackle | Cornerback
Dickerson tore an ACL in December of 2020 and missed the entirety of training camp during his rookie season. He was activated from the PUP list just 13 days before the Eagles' first regular season game against the Falcons. In Week 2, when Brandon Brooks went down with a strained pectoral muscle, Dickerson filled in. He struggled a bit initially, but once he got his sea legs under him he became a quality starter for the bulk of the season.
Dickerson played both at RG and LG in 2021. Once the Eagles became a run-heavy team a little shy of mid-way through the season, Dickerson and Jordan Mailata were often dominant in the run game on the left side of the line.
As you're all well aware, Dickerson suffered a slew of significant injuries throughout his college career. To recap:
Despite that highly concerning history, the Eagles felt that he was good enough to select with the 37th overall pick in the 2021 draft, on the premise that he can be an All-Pro caliber interior offensive lineman.
Dickerson will still have to prove that he can remain healthy for multiple seasons, but he got out to a great start in 2021, and the early returns on his selection are good.
#JimmyVerdict: Stay, duh.
Eagles stay or go: Landon Dickerson
Seumalo suffered a Lisfranc injury and was carted off against the Cowboys Week 3. He had surgery, and his season was over.
Seumalo is a competent starting LG, but he has added value as a lineman who can play all three interior line spots. However, he has been unable to consistently stay on the field over the last two seasons, as he also missed seven games in 2020 on injured reserve with a knee injury, and a large chunk of training camp in 2021 with a hamstring injury.
Heading into 2022, there will be some debate whether Seumalo should retake his spot on the line at LG once again, or if the Eagles would be better served to allow Dickerson to continue to play on the left side next to Mailata, where the Eagles had a 700-pound brick wall of physical dominance in the run game in 2021, as noted above.
The feeling here is that you really can't go wrong either way whether Dickerson lines up next to Mailata or Lane Johnson, and that Seumalo will indeed slot right back in at LG.
#JimmyVerdict: Seumalo has six years of NFL experience and he is in the final year of his second NFL contract, but he is still relatively young at 28 years of age (he turns 29 in October). The Eagles highly value offensive line versatility and depth, so Seumalo isn't going anywhere this offseason. It will be interesting to see if the team has interest in doing a third contract with him. But for now, he's a clear stay to me.
Eagles stay or go: Isaac Seumalo
Like Seumalo, Driscoll has proven to be a competent and versatile starter, but he has not been able to stay healthy. In 2021, he suffered a high ankle sprain in November against the Giants, went on IR for the second time in one season, and his year was over. His 2020 season was cut short by an MCL injury.
Driscoll showed promise as a rookie in 2020, and he was a valuable player for the Eagles until he got hurt in 2021, initially filling in for Lane Johnson at RT, and later at RG in relief of Brandon Brooks. He played 512 snaps in 2021.
#JimmyVerdict: Driscoll will eventually have to prove that he can stay on the field before the Eagles can reasonably trust him to be a starter, but for now he's a valuable backup who can play multiple positions. Stay.
Eagles stay or go: Jack Driscoll
For a guy who has been a third stringer in each of the last two seasons, Herbig has played a hell of a lot of snaps. In fact, in 2020 and 2021 combined, Herbig played 1493 snaps, third-most among Eagles offensive linemen.
| Player | 2020 snaps | 2021 snaps | TOTAL |
| Jason Kelce | 1124 | 993 | 2117 |
| Jordan Mailata | 776 | 977 | 1753 |
| Nate Herbig | 935 | 558 | 1493 |
| Lane Johnson | 405 | 821 | 1226 |
| Landon Dickerson | N/A | 920 | 920 |
| Jack Driscoll | 334 | 532 | 866 |
| Matt Pryor | 819 | N/A | 819 |
| Isaac Seumalo | 614 | 177 | 791 |
| Jason Peters | 507 | N/A | 507 |
| Andre Dillard | 0 | 407 | 407 |
| Sua Opeta | 191 | 203 | 394 |
The Eagles have tried to bring Herbig along as a backup center, but he is much more comfortable at guard, and has been able to play both sides for the Eagles.
#JimmyVerdict: Herbig is a restricted free agent this offseason. If the Eagles tender him at the "right of first refusal" level, he will make an estimated $2,433,000 in 2022. The fact that Herbig has played so many snaps for the Eagles the last two seasons makes that bump in pay justifiable. Stay.
Eagles stay or go: Nate Herbig
Opeta has started five games over the last two seasons, including the Eagles' playoff game against the Buccaneers. We did a deep dive on him on our nation's birthday last summer, and I was pleasantly surprised by his solid play. Perhaps we'll take another close look at his play from 2021 when I'm hard up for story ideas later this offseason.
#JimmyVerdict: Opeta will make less a million bucks this offseason, and he is worth a roster spot as a backup guard who can fill in on either side of the line. The question is, can the Eagles fit him on their roster? Opeta might actually be an under the radar trade chip. But for now, we'll call him a stay.
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