The Philadelphia Eagles are only a week into training camp, but it looks as though there’s already a clear front-runner for the starting left tackle spot. Jordan Mailata so far seems to be the better of the two between him and former first-round pick Andre Dillard. Dillard has been dominated in camp by several Eagles defensive linemen and his chances for the starting gig are starting to look slim.

Personally, I had a lot of hope for Andre Dillard coming into this season. Although he was out for all of 2020, it looked as though he added the much-needed muscle to his frame and would take that next step. Unfortunately, he has yet to find his groove and is falling behind. Mailata has gotten a majority of the first-team reps early in camp. Using Josh Sweat as a barometer, Andre Dillard struggled immensely against the edge rusher, while Mailata was able to hold him off well.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has raved about Jordan Mailata over the last few days. During the offseason, Jordan had to shave some weight off, and he came into camp in “the best shape of his life”. Sirianni also said that Mailata is “a big man who moves like a little man.”

If Andre Dillard loses this job, it’ll be interesting to see what the Eagles’ next step with him will be. Being on that first-round rookie contract, he will be an expensive backup, and another team could be willing to move draft capital in an attempt to give him another chance. Outside of Dillard, the Eagles also have Jack Driscoll and Matt Pryor, who can fill in on the outside for Philadelphia.

Injuries killed the Eagles offensive line the last few seasons, and they’ve been dealing with it once again. Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, and Nate Herbig have suffered some sort of injury so far in camp. Outside of the o-line, DeVonta Smith suffered an MCL Sprain, with numerous other Eagles battling minor injuries.

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