It was almost surprising to see him as he walked out of the locker room prior to Eagles practice on Tuesday, a reaction that isn't often the case with a 6-foot-5, 315 pound former first-round pick.
Unfortunately for Andre Dillard his time with the Eagles so far has made him easy to forget.
The Eagles are not short of pressing questions heading into the 2021 season, but of all the topics that have been discussed at length since last season ended, the fate of Dillard might be the most under discussed issue facing this team.
For all of the attention paid to Jalen Reagor, the truth is that in many ways Dillard's development is more important. The Eagles already drafted another receiver in the first-round in DeVonta Smith, and ultimately, the receiver position is one of the least important on offense. That isn't true for left tackle, one of the most important positions in the game, and an especially important one for a team that needs some youth along the offensive line.
Dillard, who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury last season, has started just four games since the Eagles selected him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. It seems that number might not be growing anytime soon as he was behind Jordan Mailata on Tuesday at left tackle during warmups.
While it was just warmups during a voluntary OTA, it was perhaps a look at how the Eagles' depth chart looks heading into the season. Mailata being ahead of Dillard makes sense, of course, considering how promising Mailata's play at left tackle was to end the 2020 season.
The question is whether Dillard will be given a chance to win the job, and if he doesn't, what will the Eagles do with him?
Considering he is a former first-round pick, there is almost zero chance won't be given a chance to win the job in training camp. Head coach Nick Sirianni has preached competition, and there is no question it would benefit Howie Roseman to see Dillard win the job. If the two play evenly in camp, fair or not, it is hard to imagine the tie won't go to Dillard.
If Dillard doesn't win the job? The Eagles will have a choice to make.
On one hand, Dillard would at least (hopefully) be a good backup option at left tackle. The Eagles know all-too-well how important depth is on the offensive line. They currently have Jack Driscoll as a backup option on the right side of the line, but are thin on the left side, with Brett Toth potentially the top option at left tackle besides Dillard and Mailata. If Mailata is the starter, having Dillard ready to go if Mailata were to go down would presumably be a better option than Toth.
Having a former first-round pick sitting on the bench as a healthy backup, however, isn't a great look for the team. It would also tank any of the trade value he might still have. If Dillard makes it out of camp healthy, but doesn't win the competition with Mailata, the Eagles could explore trying to trade him to try to recoup some kind of value back on the missed first-round pick.
At the very least the Eagles need to hope one of either Dillard or Mailata has a strong camp. A bad left tackle can tank a season quickly. If Mailata, a seventh-round pick, doesn't look in camp like the player he was last season the pressure on Dillard to play well will increase.
If Dillard doesn't make good on the potential that made him a first-round pick, however, it will be interesting to see what the Eagles do — and how long they wait to simply move on from him.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
