What do 6-foot-8 24-year-old Jordan Mailata and 5-foot-10 74-year-old Don Henley have in common? They're both Eagles — in one way or another — and they were both gifted with a really nice set of pipes.
Though Mailata may not have performed one of the many hits that made Henley's Eagles famous, including "Already Gone" (which could apply to Carson Wentz's status in Philadelphia after five seasons) and "The Long Run" (which hopefully defines Miles Sanders' first carry of the season), his rendition of "Tennessee Whiskey" once again impressed teammates, coaches and fans all over the world who might not expect such a pure, gentle voice from a hulking figure whose job title is quite literally "tackle."
It's not the first time that we've heard Mailata sing, and we sure hope it isn't the last. He's really good. I remember I was first introduced to the Australian offensive lineman's talent back in 2018, where he sang a romantic song in perhaps the most romantic place possible: the locker room. Biceps like these aren't supposed to produce such a good voice, but Mailata is an exception to that (made up) rule.
Unfortunately, Mailata's singing was the only pleasant-sounding news to come from the left tackle position this week. Andre Dillard suffered a knee sprain on Tuesday that will keep him sidelined for multiple weeks, though it was becoming increasingly likely that Mailata was on the path to win the starting job anyway. Now, he's "in the fast lane" to line up on the left side of the line when the Eagles and Falcons square off to start the regular season on September 12.
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