Notable nice guy Andre Dillard couldn’t hold back his emotions on Monday as a fight ensued with Derek Barnett at Philadelphia Eagles practice.
On Monday, the Philadelphia Eagles were gearing up for a short and easy practice. After getting a day off on Friday, but returning for Saturday and Sunday, the Eagles wanted to get a light session in at the Nova Care Complex to kick off the second week of the preseason.
While the practice was supposed to be lighter than normal, tempers began to fly at some point towards the end as multiple veterans, and a notable rookie were going at it. Eagles’ first-round pick Andre Dillard has had a nice week so far. After being praised for his week one effort in the preseason, the left tackle has been attempting to build off of that hype.
We knew Dillard was good but were unsure of just how aggressive he could be. When it comes to offensive linemen, coaches tend to like their big boys in the trenches to be fierce and to get mean. For Andre Dillard, that was a question mark on his scouting sheet.
Could the notable nice guy Andre Dillard get mean on the football field at the NFL level? Apparently so. Although he’s got a pleasant personality off of the field, Dillard did display some emotion in practice on Monday. And after laying out veteran safety Johnathan Cyprien, and going blow for blow with third-year defensive end Derek Barnett, the two linemen got into a scrum.
The brawl eventually caused the entire team to jump in and break it up. That led to a post-practice meeting between Dillard, Doug Pederson, and even Howie Roseman.
What’s going on with Dillard?
Andre Dillard got a little emotional when Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman spoke to him after practice. Probably telling him just to take it a little easy, especially during a 10-10-10 practice. He declined to talk. Other o-linemen said they liked seeing his intensity. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) August 12, 2019
For those who don’t know, a portion of the 10-10-10 practice would typically benefit the defense. Being a competitive perfectionist, it seems as though Dillard got a little ahead of himself and gave it a one-hundred percent effort. Can you blame him? Not at all. And nobody is. However, Dillard was told to take it easy in these sessions next time around to avoid this type of conflict.
No worries, though — the situation is already put behind them. After Dillard got emotional after practice with the coach and the General Manager, Derek Barnett approached the rookie, and they hugged it out. Training camp fights are pretty common, and bound to happen. It was surprising Dillard was involved, but at least he’s shown he can ‘get mean’ if he has to.