Finally an answer to who likely begins season at right guard

[time2rock]

Finally an answer to who likely begins season at right guard

 

 

 

Reuben Frank

EAGLES INSIDER

The Eagles have a new right guard, and it’s their old left guard.

It looks like veteran Isaac Seumalo, who lost his left guard job to Landon Dickerson, will get first crack at the right guard spot that became available when Brandon Brooks retired.

Seumalo last played right guard in 2016, when he started games against the Packers and Washington in place of Brooks.

Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen hinted before Friday’s OTA practice that Seumalo will take over at right guard.

"We're working through all that stuff right now,” he said. "Isaac is back obviously healthy, but he looks good right now and we'll go from there.”

With Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson taking the day off from the voluntary session, the 1st-team offensive line lined up with Andre Dillard, Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Seumalo and Jack Driscoll.

Now, it’s possible that if Johnson were at practice, Driscoll would be at left guard. But probably not. Most likely, he will begin the season as a backup guard and tackle.

Seumalo, 28, has played in 64 games since 2016 and started 43, the last 41 at left guard. The Eagles believe that when he’s healthy, he’s a tough, consistent and smart offensive lineman who’s equally capable of handling right guard as left guard.

Seumalo began the 2017 season as the starter before getting replaced by Stefen Wisniewski for the rest of the Super Bowl run. He then replaced Wisniewski halfway through the 2018 season.

Seumalo started all 16 games at left guard in 2019 but was limited to just 12 games over the last two seasons because of injuries – a knee in 2020 and a Lisfranc foot sprain last year, both requiring surgery.

With Brooks missing virtually all of the last two seasons, the Eagles have used eight different right guards in 33 games since opening day 2020: Nate Herbig [12 starts], Jack Driscoll [8 starts], Matt Pryor [6], Jason Peters [2], Brooks [2], Dickerson [1], Jack Anderson [1] and Sua Opeta [1].

With Brooks retired and Herbig released, the main candidates for the right guard job this summer are Seumalo, Driscoll and Opeta. Jurgens, the rookie 2nd-round pick, can play guard and is expected to take some reps there but is essentially a center.

All the Eagles’ interior linemen can play either guard spot, but when Dickerson played at such a high level after replacing Seumalo in Week 4 last year and developing a real bond with Mailata, the Eagles had no reason to move Dickerson back to right guard.

"For us, going through the season and seeing Landon and Jordan next to each other, I mean, that's imposing,” GM Howie Roseman said earlier this month. "We felt like the chemistry that they had developed going forward and how young those guys are, just developing that left side (made sense).”

Seumalo is fairly expensive.

He’s due $5.65 million this year with a $7.668 cap figure on the final year of his contract.

If the Eagles release him, they would take on $5.856 million in dead money but save about $1.8 million in cap space. If they release him with a post-June 1 designation, they can spread out the cap hit to $2.018 million in 2022 and $3.838 million in 2023, which would give them $5.65 million in cap savings this year.

But as it stands now, the 2016 3rd-round pick appears to be the projected starter.

"Isaac has played a lot of football,” Nick Sirianni said earlier this month. "We know how good of a football player he is. We'll see how everything shakes out. Isaac is coming off an injury, but Jack Driscoll played meaningful snaps (last year), Sua did a great job of stepping in (and) Cam (is) in the mix there. We have a lot of good options there.

"I think the one thing that I am continuously amazed about this place is the depth we have. Not only do we have a great starting offensive and defensive line, which is arguably one of the better ones in the NFL, we have depth at those positions, too.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/isaac-seumalo-likely-get-first-shot-eagles-right-guard-spot?fbclid=IwAR0RUWlgE_r6hoGJJRLHLz9QfNySnfHT-YhijINOI5BWTOd9CDZbDoye9w4

[Rob331]

Total bull. It's the first week of voluntary OTA's. To give today's lineup any credence especially since they were running 7 on 7's which excludes the lines is simply a clue that Reuben has nothing else to write about. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I'm not sure Seumalo will win the job to be honest. I think they are trying him there because they don't know what he can do at RG. They know Driscoll is very good at RG and I'm sure Jurgens will get some looks there too.

[Bwestbrook36]

It's Stoutland just doing his cross training and see who fits where when the injuries hit. They don't set depth charts in June