Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t count out Isaac Seumalo just yet

In 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Landon Dickerson to become the heir apparent to Jason Kelce.

Everything was lining up perfectly for the 2020 Rimington Trophy winner; he played half of his college ball at Alabama, where Jeff Stoutland coached before Philadelphia, his testing measurables were off the chart, and with Kelce a decade into his career, securing a high-upside understudy felt like a good use of a second round pick.

… except that didn’t happen. Dickerson predictably found his way into the starting lineup at left guard once Isaac Seumalo‘s season came to an end, and after turning in a deceptively wonderful rookie season, the prospects of keeping the FloraBama interior lineman next to Jordan Mailata for the next decade became just too enticing for Howie Roseman to pass up. He drafted Cam Jurgens in the second round to serve as the next heir to Kelce and the team moved forward with their interior offensive line of the future in place.

But hey, just because the team invested yet another Day 2 pick on an interior offensive lineman doesn’t mean their 2016 third round pick is suddenly a lame duck waiting to be replaced in the starting lineup by his younger, Nebraska-educated foil. If anything, a big season by Isaac Seuamlo would best set the Philadelphia Eagles up for success long-term.

A Dickerson-Jurgens-Seumalo line could spell success for the Philadelphia Eagles.

As crazy as it may sound, Isaac Seumalo doesn’t turn 30 until October 29th… 2023.

Yup, you read that correctly, despite being a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for what feels like forever – real time? Six years – Seumalo is over six years younger than Jason Kelce and could theoretically spend much of the 2020s as a fixture of Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line.

That, my friends, is why the Eagles drafted Seumalo to eventually replace Kelce at center and why they felt confident in giving him a three-year, $15.9 million extention despite number 62 remaining one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position. Even if Kelce played out Seumalo’s entire second contract, which will ultimately happen, the pride of Oregon State could sign another long-term extension and remain a fixture of Philly’s front for years to come.

With Cam Jurgens now in place, Seumalo probably won’t get a crack at playing center anytime soon. Unless the collegiate Cornhusker pulls a Landon Dickerson and runs away with a starting role at right guard for one reason or another, Jurgens will probably remain second on the center depth chart until Kelce steps aside, especially considering Nate Herbig is now a member of the New York Jets.

With that being said, Seumalo had the inside track to start at right guard this fall, and if he can roll with that, um, role over the entire 2022 NFL season with gusto, it could be enough to secure another mid-length, mid-money contract to continue to call South Philly his professional home for the foreseeable future.

Over the past three seasons, Seumalo has allowed just 10 penalties and nine sacks over a 28 game sample size, and while he hasn’t always been perfect, his ability to open holes in the run game improved greatly from his early run in midnight green and at this point, he may just be the Eagles’ best pass blocking guard, which is really saying something, considering Dickerson’s wide frame and uncanny ability.

If Seumalo can smoothly transition from left guard to the right side and actually play a full 17 game season, which he has never done for obvious reasons, the Eagles might be even better positioned for the future than some might expect.

And if not? Well, Howie Roseman has three second round picks over the next two drafts; I think he’ll be able to work something out.

Isaac Seumalo isn’t flashy. He doesn’t maul over defensive linemen in the run game, stonewall rushers in the pass game, or turn into a fullback in the open field like his career-spanning teammate, Jason Kelce. What he is, however, is a starting-caliber NFL guard and if the Philadelphia Eagles can get that level of production for the entire 2022 season, there’s little reason to believe he could remain a part of the team’s future long-term even with the additions of Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens in subsequent drafts.