Inspiration At Eagles Camp As Landon Dickerson Arrives Just A Day After Surgery

PHILADELPHIA – Landon Dickerson showed up at Eagles practice on Thursday, one day after having meniscus surgery, his right leg covered in a sleeve from the top of his leg to the ankle. He was moving well. Maybe a slight limp if you looked closely enough.

It wasn’t enough to hinder him from bringing a green cooler bag to the field after the practice between the Eagles and Browns ended after just about 65 minutes. The bag looked heavy, maybe the weight of a seventh-grader. That’s just an estimate.

It was a touch lighter when he left long after practice was over, because he was handing out contents of the bag to whoever was interested. It was beer. Lite beer. He shared with teammates and Browns alike. Not everybody took one, though some did.

"It looked like a Gatorade can to me...It was a nice gesture,” said Cleveland guard Joel Bitonio. “The O-linemen suffer together sometimes. It's always a bond, even when you're on another team. We respect each other’s game. It was a nice gesture.”

Cam Jurgens was brought inside the media tent and was asked if it was Miller time on the field. The Eagles center said it was sweating time. He was grateful to see the left guard back on the field, if he is weeks away from putting on pads.

"Never Count Him Down"

One day after surgery, Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson took the field after practice ended against the Browns with a cooler of beer. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

“Never count him down,” said Jurgens. “He’s the toughest guy I know.”

That is saying something from Jurgens, who played through severe back pain late last season and required a procedure after hoisting the Lombardi Trophy the Eagles brought back from New Orleans in February.

"He’s a tough guy," said Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who goes against Dickeron regularly during practice. "I know he’s gonna come out of this injury stronger than when he went into it. It’s hard to lose a guy like that, but I felt that with this offensive line, those guys are like brothers too, same as us. I guess it’s a trench thing, the way they band together and pull together. Just to even see him probably gives them more support."

In a surprise moment, Dickerson showed up in the locker room before his teammates took the field on Thursday. Nobody was expecting it after watching him get carted off the sidelines during Sunday night’s open practice at Lincoln Financial Field. It was Monday evening when word spread that Dickerson escaped serious injury.

“It was pretty scary, so very happy to see him this morning when he walked into the locker room,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata, one of Dickerson’s best friends. “I was shocked that he was walking. Just very happy to see his bubbly face in the building and his energy, and I’m glad everything is going OK.

“I think that guy is just made of rubber. It doesn’t matter what injury he’s going through during the game, he’s just gonna keep pushing through. It’s inspiring. It’s very inspiring... Man, there’s just something different about him. The mentality just to go out there and lay it all (on the line).”

More NFL: Lane Johnson Touts Teammates, Talks Dog Days Of Training Camp At Age 35