Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: Bodyguard vs. Upside
The Eagles’ offensive line is about as stable as it gets with three All-Pro level players in center Jason Kelce, right guard Brandon Brooks and right tackle Lane Johnson.
From there Isaac Seumalo has settled in nicely as an above-average left guard and the decision was made to transition from future Hall of Fame left tackle Jason Peters to a player that’s supposed to handle the next decade at the position, 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard.
The organization essentially said goodbye to Peters in a release when the 38-year-old veteran was set to hit free agency but things have changed a bit due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Philadelphia clearly believed this offseason was an important one for Dillard, who needed to add functional strength coming off a rookie season in which bull rushers were his kryptonite.
The other whispers regarding Dillard’s toughness are probably a bit unfair although it's fair to say the organization was disappointed with the way he handled a potential move to right tackle when Johnson was injured, an experiment that lasted one half.
Peters, meanwhile, loves the Eagles organization and owner Jeffrey Lurie. He’s turned down offers elsewhere but there are two clear directives in the veteran’s mind - he still wants to play and he prefers that to be in Philadelphia.
With the small window on a potential on-field minicamp closing this week, the Eagles will assemble in late July for training camp and it seems as if the plan is to assess where Dillard is as quickly as possible and hope Peters stays by the phone but not on it with another organization.
Doug Pederson, however, is already on record as saying this is going to be a season in which veterans need to be relied on, especially early on.
“I think early on in this season this becomes a veteran-laden football season,” Pederson said. "Football teams are going to have to rely on their veteran players.”
That means the more prudent decision here might be re-signing Peters to a one-year deal which is as cost-effective as possible and pushing back the succession plan for one year.
COULDA: Thrown Dillard into the deep end of the pool and not wavered.
SHOULDA: Re-signed Peters and put a smile on Lurie’s face.
WOULDA: Made this decision earlier and shown the courage of their convictions.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
