Landon Dickerson must play for Eagles (but doesn't mean he shouldn't be traded)

The Philadelphia Eagles are finally getting some offensive line reinforcements, as starting left guard Landon Dickerson returned to practice for the first time in four weeks.

Philly announced it had opened the 21-day practice window for four players currently on IR. Dickerson was one of those guys.

He only played in one game this season, in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders, before he was placed on IR with a knee injury. Since then, speculation has run rampant about whether he'll be on the team much longer. There's a lot to unpack, but there is a scenario where the Eagles must play him and trade him in the next few weeks if they want to.

Why Landon Dickerson still needs to play for the Eagles

Let's get this out of the way: Dickerson was very bad at left guard in Week 1. He allowed four pressures and one sack in 35 pass-blocking snaps and was called for one penalty in the win over the Washington Commanders. He had a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 37.6, including a pass-blocking grade of 20.8 and a run-blocking grade of 47.0.

All disgusting numbers. That said, the Eagles might benefit from Dickerson starting at left guard again.

For one, it would help the offense to have some familiar faces on the unit. The Eagles are down two wide receivers, three running backs, and three offensive line starters from Week 1. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts even talked about the struggles of having so many new faces during his press conference on Wednesday.

“It’s a challenge. And that’s not a challenge that I don’t think that’s one that we’re naive of. Think for me, it’s always pushing for that connection and that synergy so everybody’s on the same page. And one of the takeaways from the game for me with the new unit, you know, I had every ounce of confidence that we would go out there and fight and give ourselves a position, give ourselves the opportunity to be in the game and win. And, you know, we’ve got a lot that we can be better at, a lot that we can learn from. But with the new guys and the preparation and the hunger that they had when it was a different feeling when I looked into their eyes in the huddle. And so, as a quarterback, that’s encouraging. You got guys going out there for the first time who knows I’ve been there before, and they fought.”

Dickerson was a two-time Pro Bowler in 2022 and 2023 and has been a solid starter on this offensive line. Despite recent injury concerns, he has been a key piece of the offensive line over the last few years.

Eagles don't have to keep Landon Dickerson beyond the trade deadline, though

The other reason to play him raises an interesting question: should the Eagles trade Landon Dickerson? Yes, they absolutely can and should keep that option open.

Philly wants to enhance Dickerson's trade value if they can improve. The only way that happens is if he plays and shows he can still be a solid starter.

Willie Lampkin showed some good progress at left guard in his first start of his career in the Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After allowing four pressures in the first half, Lampkin dropped that to one pressure in the second half, proving he can start if the Eagles want to give him a chance.

That makes a Dickerson trade much easier with Lampkin improving at left guard. Dickerson should play, though, so that the Eagles can try to get a similar haul to what they got from Cam Jurgens in that trade with the Baltimore Ravens. Philly won't get a second-round pick, but fighting for a third- or fourth-round pick for Dickerson isn't out of the realm of possibility.

It certainly feels like a trade is highly possible, though. That's because when reporters asked Dickerson whether he believes the team views him as the long-term starter at left guard, he gave an interesting response.

“That’s a great question. Do they have a media day for Nick and Howie? You can ask them that.”

Dickerson did follow up on his desire to play for the Eagles throughout his career. He also acknowledged that he does not control that.

If Philly does play Dickerson and he proves that he is back to his 2023 form, though, then the Eagles have a great solution to their offensive line problems. They can move on from the trade idea and just play him.

Read more: Eagles 2027 free agent check-in: Howie Roseman might be ready to offload players

There's a risk in playing Dickerson if he gets hurt, but right now, playing him gives them more benefits than not. Either way, he needs to be on the field, and the team can either trade him or keep him.

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