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Who's left on Eagles' offensive line if Jason Peters gets hurt again?


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Who's left on Eagles' offensive line if Jason Peters gets hurt again?

We’re still two and a half weeks from opening day and 40 percent of the Eagles’ offensive line is gone.

Right guard Brandon Brooks? Gone.

Left tackle Andre Dillard? Gone.

Which means the Eagles are now relying on a 38-year-old who’s had trouble staying healthy at left tackle and an untested sixth-round pick with one career start at right guard.

It’s a precarious situation, especially considering the team’s lack of veteran depth along the offensive line.

Assuming Jason Peters returns to left tackle and Matt Pryor replaces him at right guard — and that’s how the Eagles finished last season — that leaves the Eagles with these players on the bench:

Nate Herbig —  Career offensive reps: 3
Jordan Mailata — Career offensive reps: 0
Jack Driscoll — Career offensive reps: 0
Prince Tega Wanogho — Career offensive reps: 0
Julian Good-Jones — Career offensive reps: 0
Luke Juriga — Career offensive reps: 0
Sua Opeta — Career offensive reps: 0

Three career snaps combined.

 So while Peters/Isaac Seumalo/Jason Kelce/Pryor/Lane Johnson may be a fairly solid starting five, it leaves the Eagles dangerously thin if someone else gets hurt.

Which around here you kind of expect.

The big concern is Peters, who is still a really good player when healthy but does tend to get banged up.

He was limited to seven games in 2017 with a torn MCL. He started all 18 games in 2018 but missed significant snaps in five games. Then last year, he missed three games with a knee injury and missed significant snaps in two others.

So over the past three seasons, he’s started and finished 32 of a possible 54 games.

Those aren't great odds. Expecting Peters to get through 16 games and a postseason healthy at 38 years old is unrealistic. 

So where does that leave this offensive line?

If Peters gets hurt, there are a few options, none of them great. 

The Eagles no longer have an heir apparent who can back up anywhere like Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Lions.

Mailata, now in his third year here, has worked with the second group at left tackle during camp (and the first group when Dillard has been out) and certainly has the size, athleticism and power you’re looking for. But he’s never played a meaningful snap at any level. Do you really trust a converted rugby player to protect Carson Wentz from Chase Young and Everson Griffen?

The other options mean a lot of moving pieces, which is never ideal.

Pryor seems pretty solid and has worked at both right guard and right tackle this summer, and you may start to see him get some reps at left tackle. But he needs the work at right guard, since that’s where he’s currently the starter. And if you move him from right guard to left tackle, that means going with someone untested — probably Nate Herbig, possibly Sua Opeta or Jack Driscoll — at right guard.

Driscoll and Tega Wanogho are rookies currently running with the third team, so it’s hard to imagine either of them being ready to play tackle in the opener. Especially without preseason games. But the original plan for Driscoll was to play him at guard, so you may see him start to get guard reps to give the Eagles flexibility to swing Pryor out to left tackle if need be and get your fourth-round draft pick on the field. You can definitely hide an inexperienced rookie more at guard than tackle. Especially left tackle.

Another option would be to slide Seumalo from left guard to left tackle. He hasn’t played tackle here and he's a little undersized, but he can do it. And unlike the other options, at least he’s experienced. He’s started 31 games, including the Eagles’ last 28 at left guard. Again, this means going with Herbig, Opeta or Driscoll at guard.

There’s always the option of bringing in a veteran tackle, although at this point just about anybody with value is already on a roster. And if someone isn’t, there’s usually a pretty good reason why. And if you do sign someone, you have two and a half weeks to get him ready.

The last thing any team wants on the offensive line is a bunch of moving pieces. Especially this year. But this is the Eagles' reality, and there's no ideal answer.

The last time Peters stayed healthy for a full year was 2016. That was four years ago, and the Eagles just can’t afford to see No. 71 hobbling off the field again.

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-offensive-line-andre-dillard-injury-jason-peters

I'm sorry to be negative but... This team is in a really bad position. This team is pretty screwed as things stand. Peters misses snaps and now we don't have a good replacement for him. We are one injury away from a complete mess on the OL and with this team we know injuries are going to happen. 

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They better hope all the time and work they put into developing Mailata finally pays off, that he could spot start when JP misses time and somewhat hold his own.  They better be giving him a ton of reps there these next couple of weeks.  And mix in Wanogho as well to start getting him acclimated.  JP doesn't need a ton of TC reps at LT, limit him to keep him fresh for the regular season.  

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5 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I'm sorry to be negative but... This team is in a really bad position. This team is pretty screwed as things stand. Peters misses snaps and now we don't have a good replacement for him. We are one injury away from a complete mess on the OL and with this team we know injuries are going to happen. 

On one hand, you're worried about the young WRs' development if Jeffery is healthy and starts. On the other, you are worried about inexperienced depth on the O-line as if the guys we've been developing have no shot at being in the NFL. 

 

Yes, ideally you want to have experienced, depth at every position. Sometimes you begin the season already into that depth. I'm not worried about JP. He finished last quarter of last season without really missing snaps. He's a good starting LT in this league. If something happens to him, there will always be guys available that have experience if it turns out our depth can't "play." I'm actually pretty sure the Eagles will be watching the roster cuts closely and looking to add someone around the start of the season.

It's not always as bleak as people around here want things to be. We won a Super Bowl in a year where Peters was hurt and the backup plan was Vaitai (who hadn't played LT for us). We have a couple guys learning to play in our offense at LT right now. Hopefully we won't have to use them, but if we do, why do we have to act like it's all over? Heck, why do we have to act like it's all over when Peters isn't even hurt?

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I don't think they need to bring anyone in as Mailata has shown he can at least play at Vaitai's level, and Driscoll and Tega are at least as good as Vaitai and Seumalo are when they were rookies. Herbig and Opeta are probably about as good as Pryor.

Obviously the offensive line is going to struggle somewhat since losing Brooks is a bad blow and there is going to be a substantial dropoff if any of the other starters get hurt. But if a veteran is available right now, there's a reason for it. And I don't think anyone we find on the scrap heap is going to be substantially better that our own guys.

Ultimately, it comes down to this, do you trust Pryor to play? If the answer is no, you have to go out and sign someone. But it's not signing one guy, it's signing a bunch, since none of the other backups are going to be serviceable.

But if you trust that Pryor is good enough to put out there, then Mailata, Opeta and Herbig are probably going to be fine as well, since they are all as good as or better than Pryor. All they are lacking is game experience, and there's only one way to get that. And it's not by bringing in some 35 year old, cap draining journeyman.  

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From things I have read, it seams that Mailata has been getting blown up by just about everyone on the d-line. We will need Goedert there to help with blocking if Mailata is in at LT. Let's hope Peters will be healthy for the whole season and post season.

I do not mind Pryor going to RG he did really well in the snaps he had. Also Herbig did really well at C. So maybe at worst Pryor LT and Herbig RG.

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Sign Cordy Glenn to play LT. Leave Peters at RG and he will be your swing backup option at both T's. Then Pryor is your first backup option at RG. Best option I see. 

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9 hours ago, brkmsn said:

On one hand, you're worried about the young WRs' development if Jeffery is healthy and starts. On the other, you are worried about inexperienced depth on the O-line as if the guys we've been developing have no shot at being in the NFL. 

Protecting Wentz is essential though. Little different between OL and WRs.

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7 hours ago, jsb235 said:

I don't think they need to bring anyone in as Mailata has shown he can at least play at Vaitai's level, and Driscoll and Tega are at least as good as Vaitai and Seumalo are when they were rookies. Herbig and Opeta are probably about as good as Pryor.

Obviously the offensive line is going to struggle somewhat since losing Brooks is a bad blow and there is going to be a substantial dropoff if any of the other starters get hurt. But if a veteran is available right now, there's a reason for it. And I don't think anyone we find on the scrap heap is going to be substantially better that our own guys.

Ultimately, it comes down to this, do you trust Pryor to play? If the answer is no, you have to go out and sign someone. But it's not signing one guy, it's signing a bunch, since none of the other backups are going to be serviceable.

But if you trust that Pryor is good enough to put out there, then Mailata, Opeta and Herbig are probably going to be fine as well, since they are all as good as or better than Pryor. All they are lacking is game experience, and there's only one way to get that. And it's not by bringing in some 35 year old, cap draining journeyman.  

Mailata hasn't shown he can consistently block anyone.  Opeta has had a poor camp.  Herbig is a favorite of the staff and has size and having gone to Stanford I would imagine the intelligence but he has had constant snapping troubles.  He's be the next OG up and maybe the back up C, unless they'd put Sem there.  Right now we have Herbig and the two rookies on the bench.  That's it.  The 4th rounder is being groomed for the right side. Maybe he could play C.  They better get Prince up to speed fast.  i imagine Pryor would slide over to LT next and Herbig at RG, Maybe Driscoll.  We need reinforcements.

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6 hours ago, Portyansky said:

From things I have read, it seams that Mailata has been getting blown up by just about everyone on the d-line. We will need Goedert there to help with blocking if Mailata is in at LT. Let's hope Peters will be healthy for the whole season and post season.

I do not mind Pryor going to RG he did really well in the snaps he had. Also Herbig did really well at C. So maybe at worst Pryor LT and Herbig RG.

Do you honestly believe that Mailata will be any worse than this?

 

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8 hours ago, Portyansky said:

We will need Goedert there to help with blocking if Mailata is in at LT.

 

Football fans have to hope that when they lose a key player on the O-line and the replacement begins to struggle, that the team gives the replacement some help. 

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Peters will get hurt- it’s just a matter of when. Love the guy but how many times do you see him leave the game for a series or two with some type of injury. 

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Right now there’s nobody out there worth signing. Doug better have a few guys glued to the waiver wire after final cuts are made around the league though.

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On 8/29/2020 at 12:34 AM, mr_irie1 said:

Right now there’s nobody out there worth signing. Doug better have a few guys glued to the waiver wire after final cuts are made around the league though.

Zactly...... nothing against our young guys...... but experience is the needed depth at this point...... regardless of where JP plays...... he will leave the field for a while....... one more injury to a starter will kill the season..... find some experience just in case. 

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On 8/28/2020 at 7:47 AM, time2rock said:

They better hope all the time and work they put into developing Mailata finally pays off, that he could spot start when JP misses time and somewhat hold his own.  They better be giving him a ton of reps there these next couple of weeks.  And mix in Wanogho as well to start getting him acclimated.  JP doesn't need a ton of TC reps at LT, limit him to keep him fresh for the regular season.  

Yeah, that sounds about right - give two prospects with upside potential some playing time to see who distinguishes themself as the back up to JP this year and Dillard for the future. Keep the guard prospects working as guards. 

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On 8/28/2020 at 7:47 AM, time2rock said:

They better hope all the time and work they put into developing Mailata finally pays off, that he could spot start when JP misses time and somewhat hold his own.  They better be giving him a ton of reps there these next couple of weeks.  And mix in Wanogho as well to start getting him acclimated.  JP doesn't need a ton of TC reps at LT, limit him to keep him fresh for the regular season.  

I fear that they have all but completely given up on Mailata.

What are the only 2 spots on the OL that are set in stone with no need for help?  OC and RT.  Where has Mailata been lining up in practice?  RT while Lane is bubble wrapped.

Where is Pryor best suited?  RG behind an always injured Peters.  Yet he's the primary guy getting trial by fire at LT.  

They were given a painful reminder just last year of how it messes with an OL's mind and development to flip sides when Dillard crashed as the RT.  Doing the same thing with a guy who has never played football isn't exactly wise unless you are crossing him off as a LT.

I don't think Mailata is factoring into this picture.  And if he somehow is...I don't care that we supposedly have the NFL's best OL coach...that's ridiculous that they have Mailata at RT.

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7 hours ago, eagle45 said:

I fear that they have all but completely given up on Mailata.

What are the only 2 spots on the OL that are set in stone with no need for help?  OC and RT.  Where has Mailata been lining up in practice?  RT while Lane is bubble wrapped.

Where is Pryor best suited?  RG behind an always injured Peters.  Yet he's the primary guy getting trial by fire at LT.  

They were given a painful reminder just last year of how it messes with an OL's mind and development to flip sides when Dillard crashed as the RT.  Doing the same thing with a guy who has never played football isn't exactly wise unless you are crossing him off as a LT.

I don't think Mailata is factoring into this picture.  And if he somehow is...I don't care that we supposedly have the NFL's best OL coach...that's ridiculous that they have Mailata at RT.

2 Things ...

1 --- Last year, when Lane Johnson got hurt, we tried moving Dillard to RT with just one week of practice there. The result was a mess.

2 --- NFL teams are anticipating covid having some impact this year and if it does, they don't think it will be just 1 player at a time. 

 

Keeping both these things in mind, that is why you are seeing guys get work at positions you may not expect. If it comes to that during the season, a move or shift won't be completely foreign to the player like the move to RT was to Dillard last season.

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