Philadelphia Eagles: 5 players fighting for a contract extension in 2021
By David Esser
Jordan Mailata, OT
Everyone’s heart throb from this past season, Jordan Mailata‘s breakthrough as a serviceable offensive tackle in 2020 was one of the few positives you could take away from what was a disaster of a regular season for the most part. Mailata held down LT admirably well for a good chunk of the year, planting the seeds for a “competition” to occur between himself and former first-round pick Andre Dillard this upcoming training camp.
For what it’s worth, Mailata didn’t really play as well as initial evaluations had him pinned down for. He definitely performed far above expectations, but he still allowed pressure to get to the QB at a higher rate than you would typically prefer out of your left tackle.
That’s not to say Mailata can’t continue to get better over time, but he’s by no means a finished product.
2021 should be an interesting year for Mailata, and his future status with the team really just depends on his ability to earn a starting job. If he ends up the Eagles’ starting left tackle this season, one can only assume that Roseman would look to lock him down for the longterm.
With Lane Johnson a walking injury these days, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for Mailata to see some time at RT this season as well.
However, if Mailata ends up the Eagles’ swing tackle this season, I’m not so sure if Roseman looks to extend him. The team notably let “Big V” walk after the 2019 season, despite the depth that he provided as a go-to backup tackle.