Should Andre Dillard still play if Jason Peters is healthy?

Should Andre Dillard continue to play even if Jason Peters is healthy?

After undergoing knee a knee scope, Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Jason Peters has hit the practice field this week, and all signs are pointing towards him returning to the starting lineup this Sunday. Even though rookie tackle Andre Dillard has played well in Peters’ absence this season, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has made it clear that the ‘Bodyguard’ will reclaim his starting spot once he’s ready to go.

Regardless of how well Dillard’s played, it’s hard to justify playing him over a future Hall of Famer in Peters.

So where does that leave Dillard? He’s played well enough to warrant his spot in the starting lineup, and he’s gradually improved with each outing. At the very least, he’ll still fill in for Peters if there are any issues.

Last year, Peters only played 79 percent of the offensive snaps, whereas the other key starters along the offensive line (Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson) all played at least 88 percent of the snaps.

We’ve seen a similar trend in 2019 as well, as Peters has only played every offensive snap in two contests so far this season. Given Peters’ age and recent inability to play every snap, we can count on the fact that Dillard should still see significant playing time.

Coming out of college, Dillard was heralded as a versatile lineman who could play multiple positions along the line if need be. During the pre-draft process, Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote this in his scouting report of Dillard:

"Overall, Dillard is a better pass protector than run blocker right now, but he is a quick-minded player with the light feet and core power to play multiple positions in the NFL."

Starting left guard Isaac Seumalo hasn’t exactly played stellar this season, grading out as the 40th-best left guard in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. Dillard has the athletic ability to move to guard, so is it far fetched to think the coaching staff could give him a shot there if Seumalo continues to struggle?

It would be interesting to see how the line played with Dillard in at guard next to Peters, but the likelihood of the coaching staff pulling the trigger on that one seems doubtful. Coaches never want to throw too much at a young player, and asking a rookie left tackle to suddenly make the jump to guard for the rest of the year could end up stunting his growth as a blindside protector. Dillard’s play during these past few weeks have been encouraging, and fans should be excited to see what the future holds for this young man.