Philadelphia Eagles: Jason Kelce’s confidence in Andre Dillard is key
By Dan Parzych
Andre Dillard is just one of many members from the Philadelphia Eagles facing pressure to step up during the 2020 season.
While Jason Kelce has established a reputation for being a reliable offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles throughout his career, the verdict is unfortunately still out there for Andre Dillard.
Even though the argument can be made that it’s unfair to criticize Dillard too much since the Washington State product is only coming off his first NFL season in 2019 and deserves more time to develop, the case can also be made the Eagles expected more right away.
When looking at some of the other prospects Philadelphia passed on at the time in the first round (No. 22) of the draft in 2019, the Eagles made it seem like Dillard would find a way to make an impact right away as a rookie.
Instead, Dillard’s rookie campaign was filled with more disappointment than excitement after he started just four games, putting extra pressure on the 24-year-old entering his sophomore campaign.
On a positive note, the confidence Kelce seems to have in Dillard that was discussed in a recent interview makes it seem like the veteran is ready to watch his young teammate succeed in 2020 by showing he is in fact capable of handling a starting role.
No matter what, Philadelphia knew it would nearly be impossible to replace an anchor like Jason Peters on the offensive line when looking at everything the potential Hall of Famer did for the Eagles throughout his career, but also the team still needs to try.
As Kelce stated in the interview as well, the Eagles are in a “win-now mode” coming off a third playoff appearance in a row last season and would love nothing more than to see that streak extend to four in 2020.
Plenty of factors will come into play in regard to whether this happens for Philadelphia or not, but if Dillard is able to finally live up to the hype to help take pressure off Carson Wentz under center, the Eagles should love their chances.
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The concerns surrounding Dillard has been there in recent months, but at least with the confidence Kelce appears to have along with a few other key factors, Philadelphia should feel good about what year two will have in store for the young lineman.