The Eagles have announced that backup left tackle Andre Dillard has been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19, effectively ruling him out from tomorrow’s game. Dillard now joins left guard Landon Dickerson on the COVID list.
Roster Move: Eagles have placed T Andre Dillard on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. pic.twitter.com/g8L9DDYtlK
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 20, 2021
Dillard hasn’t appeared in a game since Week 8, when he played 14 snaps on offense and 9 snaps on special teams. The second-year tackle has taken 278 total offensive snaps, and has started four games when Jordan Mailata was injured. If Mailata is injured in the matchup, the Eagles could be in trouble, as Dillard has proven to be a solid — if unspectacular — depth piece, registering a 69.5 PFF grade.
The absolute BS continues as the Eagles keep suffering from their game versus Washington being pushed from yesterday to Tuesday. While the NFL recently updated its COVID protocols to allow for quicker returns, that won’t be any help here.
Even worse is that there’s a lingering concerning chance that more COVID cases in the offensive lineman group — or any other close contacts of Dillard’s — could be on the way between now and 7 p.m. tomorrow.
In the case of Dickerson’s absence, Sua Opeta will be getting the start at left guard. Meanwhile, La’Raven Clark will be the primary backup behind Mailata at left tackle. The offensive line has taken some beatings of late – in addition to Dickerson and Dillard, Brandon Brooks continues to remain out, along with Jack Driscoll. However, the team did recently welcome back Jack Anderson.
