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 offensive tackle.
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
Lane Johnson
Johnson missed three games early in the season with a personal matter later revealed to be a battle with anxiety. He rebounded and had a dominant All-Pro season at RT.
The concern with Johnson entering the season was his ankle, which has hampered him since he injured it in London against the Jaguars way back in 2018. He had offseason surgery on it, and it seemed to hold up for him throughout the 2021 season.
#JimmyVerdict: Barring any surprises from Johnson's end, there's no question he will be back in 2022. Stay.
Eagles stay or go: Lane Johnson
Jordan Mailata
In 2020, Mailata got his first ever playing time in real NFL games, playing in 13 games, starting 10. It was fun to watch his improvement throughout the season as his confidence grew.
Mailata entered 2021 training camp in a competition with Andre Dillard for the starting LT job, but it was crystal clear after only a small handful of practices that Mailata was going to run away with the job. He was so good in camp, in fact, that the Eagles gave him a four-year contract extension worth $64 million.
During the regular season, Mailata became one of the best left tackles in the NFL, and probably should have made the Pro Bowl, but was snubbed.
#JimmyVerdict: Mailata has the chance to be a very good player for a long time. Stay.
Eagles stay or go: Jordan Mailata
Andre Dillard
Dillard had a bad rookie season (and not just at RT), before being lost for the season in 2020 with a torn biceps.
In 2021, he lost the aforementioned training camp battle with Mailata, but he eventually started five games at LT and played reasonably well. He showed that he belongs in the NFL and could even start for many of the offensive line-starved teams across the league. He'd be a low-end starter, but one theoretically with room to grow, even at the age of 26.
With the Eagles, there isn't really a good fit for Dillard going forward. Mailata will be the starting LT for the foreseeable future, and Johnson is coming off an All-Pro season at RT. Dillard can only play LT, so he doesn't even have value to the Eagles as a swing tackle. When Johnson was missing for several games with his personal matter, Mailata started at RT and Dillard filled in at LT.
Dillard is also a bad candidate to move inside to guard, because his biggest flaw is that he struggles anchoring against power. Some of the nastier DTs in the league would eat him alive in there. So it's seemingly starting LT or bust. That has value elsewhere, but not currently in Philly.
#JimmyVerdict: Dillard should get moved this year, but it may take a while. Other teams around the league aren't likely to have much interest in Dillard until they strike out in free agency and the draft, or until they lose their LT to an injury.
There's also the matter of whether the Eagles will exercise Dillard's fifth-year option or not, which is a decision that is due a few days after the conclusion of 2022 NFL Draft. If they do, they'll be guaranteeing Dillard's 2023 salary of an estimated $11,624,000 (via OverTheCap). Why in the world would the Eagles do that? Well, they absolutely shouldn't, but maybe a scenario exists in which the Eagles try to prolong their control of a player they are unable to move prior to the draft? That's unlikely, but possible, in my opinion.
Ultimately, some team out there will become needy enough (there's always a few), and I think Dillard gets moved this year, whether that's during the offseason or even into the regular season. Go.
Eagles stay or go: Andre Dillard
Le'Raven Clark
Clark was a third-round pick of the Colts in the 2016 NFL Draft. He appeared in 47 games for the Colts, starting 15. Clark has guard-tackle versatility, as he has started games for the Colts at LT, RT, and RG. He has average athleticism, but excellent length, notably his 36-plus inch arms.
Clark tore his Achilles in early December 2020. He missed a chunk of training camp but was activated from the PUP list in mid-August. He was released at 53-man cutdowns, but signed back to the practice squad, where he remained for most of the season.
In December, the Eagles elevated Clark to the 53-man roster and signed him to a one-year contract extension. He started in the practice squad game against the Cowboys Week 18, and he filled in for an injured Lane Johnson against the Bucs in garbage time in the playoffs.
#JimmyVerdict: Clark has some intriguing traits, and the Eagles got a good look at him in practice throughout the season. They obviously liked enough of what they saw in him to extend his contract by a year. If the Eagles move Dillard, Clark could compete to be the Eagles' swing tackle in 2022. Stay.
Eagles stay or go: Le'Raven Clark
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