The Eagles will be without their starting left tackle on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, as head coach Doug Pederson announced on Wednesday that Jason Peters is week-to-week with a knee injury.
Although Pederson did not rule Peters out officially, it is clear Peters will not play, meaning Andre Dillard will be getting his first career NFL start.
Peters has started all six games this season, but has been in-and-out of action with various injuries and illnesses. Dillard got his first extensive action of the season in last Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Pro Football Focus had Dillard graded out as one of the worst offensive tackles in the league last week, giving up seven hurries and a sack in 34 pass blocking snaps. While he has struggled to stay on the field, Peters has played well when he has been in the game, grading out as the ninth-best tackle in the league so far this season.
Peters almost certainly being out and Dillard starting against the Cowboys presents some problems for the Eagles' offense, but it also raises an interesting question for the future.
Have we seen the last of Peters?
There is almost no question that Dillard will be the starting left tackle in 2020, barring a complete disaster of a showing starting on Sunday. With that in mind the Eagles might decide to simply keep him on the field even when Peters is fully recovered from his knee injury. That decision, unless Dillard was struggling, would make the most sense.
Peters, however, is clearly very highly thought of in the Eagles' front office. He is also best friends with Jeffrey Lurie. If Peters wants to play, the Eagles letting him back out onto the field should not be ruled out, even if Dillard is playing at a high level.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
