Philadelphia Eagles: 3 winners and losers from training camp thus far
By David Esser
Loser: Andre Dillard, LT
It’s quite concerning that the team’s 2019 first-round pick is on the “loser” part of this list, but yet here are. After a rookie season filled with question marks upon question marks, Andre Dillard has done very little to calm those nerves down in training camp.
The Philadelphia Eagles traded up a few spots to land Dillard in the 2019 draft, and a good chunk of analysts and scouts viewed this as a “steal” for Roseman and the Eagles. Dillard was a multi-year starter at Washington State, and had all the traits to develop into the team’s next great franchise left tackle.
Future Hall of Famer Jason Peters was shown the door this offseason (eventually brought back to play right guard), and the reigns were completely turned over to Dillard entering his second season.
A lot was said this offseason regarding Dillard’s development leading into training camp. It was reported that he put on 10-15 pounds of legit size, and that he had been working diligently in the weight room to get stronger. One of Dillard’s biggest weaknesses during his rookie campaign was his inability to deal with “bull rushes”, so him prioritizing his strength made plenty of sense.
Despite all the work he put in, Dillard has entered camp this year still looking a ways away from being “franchise LT material”. He got absolutely destroyed on a bull rush from DE Joe Ostman during Wednesday’s practice, which actually resulted in Carson Wentz taking a nasty fall.
Considering how important Wentz’s health is to the Philadelphia Eagles, the coaching staff has to be wondering just how long Dillard’s leash will be this season.