The Eagles are treating their left guard situation like state secrets, and for good reason: Week 2 brings a Tennessee front that can punish any crack in the armor.
Landon Dickerson is on injured reserve with a bone bruise in his knee, and Philadelphia has not been eager to tip its hand on who will take his place. Dickerson’s issue wasn’t a surprise. He was rolled up on in training camp before the opener, tried to wait it out, then played through it in a 24-22 win over Washington before later saying he was “a complete liability.”
Imaging showed the bruise would not improve if he kept absorbing contact, so the Eagles shut him down and made him ineligible until at least Week 6.
That leaves new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion trying to patch over a problem spot in a line that already looked uneven in Week 1. On Thursday, Nick Sirianni turned practice into a full-on shell game, and the choices on the board are Drew Kendall, Willie Lampkin, or even Fred Johnson.
Kendall, a 2025 fifth-round center from Boston College, has spent plenty of time cross-training at left guard this summer and still looks like the cleanest answer. Lampkin, the 5-foot-11, 290-pound former waiver claim, brings leverage and violence in the run game and can handle center or guard, though he worked mostly at right guard during camp.
Johnson, meanwhile, got the first-team left guard reps in the small portion of Thursday’s practice that was open to reporters. That could have been a real clue, or it could have been Philadelphia doing what Philadelphia does best: keeping everybody guessing.
There’s also the possibility of sliding Cam Jurgens to guard and putting Kendall at center, though that would create a full-on shuffle. Jalen Hurts said Wednesday he has only been working with Jurgens at center, which makes that option a little less tidy than it sounds.
The problem is that Tennessee’s defense may not be imposing everywhere, but it is nasty right where the Eagles are vulnerable. Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers give the Titans real bite on the interior.
Simmons is the anchor, an All-Pro who can make a case as the best defensive tackle in the league. Franklin-Myers, who arrived this offseason on a three-year, $63 million deal after productive seasons in Denver, is the kind of player who can wreck a game if teams spend too much time worrying about the star beside him.
Neither was much of a factor in Week 1, when Tennessee generated almost no pressure and lost 23-10 at home to the Jets. Sunday in Nashville offers a chance to reset, and Simmons has already spelled out the goal: “make Jalen Hurts be a QB”.
That is the challenge waiting for Philadelphia. Even with Dickerson healthy, Simmons would make this a serious test. Without him, the Titans can tilt their attention toward the vacancy and force the Eagles’ backup plan to survive on the fly.
The Eagles enter at 1-0 and are favored by a touchdown on the road. Tennessee is 0-1 and still searching for its first real statement of the Saleh-Cam Ward era. Philadelphia’s secrecy may keep the answer hidden a little longer, but it won’t change the real issue: the trenches will tell the story.
In Other News...
Eagles Fans May Not Like Whats Coming To Tailgating
Changes to tailgating at the Eagles sports complex are expected to start on October 4, with hand parking set to become part of the routine. Under that system, attendants will direct vehicles into specific spaces, a shift aimed at curbing the oversized tailgate setups that have been spreading across multiple parking spots and creating traffic and parking headaches around the lots.
For fans, the bigger question now is how much those familiar game-day gatherings will change once the new setup is in place. An official explanation from the Eagles or the Sports Complex Parking Venture is still expected, but until that arrives, tailgaters are left reading the tea leaves on a move that looks designed to tighten control of one of the most visible parts of the pregame scene. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Carter Sounds Ready But Two Eagles Injury Questions Still Linger
Jalen Carter was back on the practice field with a cast on his right wrist and still sounded like a player expecting to suit up in the next game, a reassuring sign for an Eagles defense that leans on his presence in the middle. His availability matters because Carter changes how opposing offenses have to block up front, and Philadelphia has spent enough time this season dealing with health questions to appreciate any encouraging update, even if it comes with a little extra equipment.
The more unsettled part of the injury picture sits elsewhere, with safety Drew Mukuba out of practice and wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg, while edge rusher Jonathan Greenard continues working his way back from a pec strain. Greenard still has not made his Eagles debut, but the rehabilitation reports have been positive, leaving the team with at least some optimism as it waits to see how quickly the defensive pieces around Carter can come together. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Run Game Debate Centers On Tank Bigsby In Week 2
The Eagles backfield usage in Week 1 offered a small but notable clue about how the team is sorting out its run-game rotation early in the season. Will Shipley got more carries than Tank Bigsby, while Bigsby still found a way to contribute by handling kickoff returns and giving Philadelphia a little burst in the field-position battle. With the offensive line still trying to settle in, every touch in the run game starts to matter a little more.
Bigsbys role is worth watching as the Eagles turn their attention to Tennessee, a defense that gave up plenty of rushing yards in its opener. If Philadelphia wants to lean on the ground game to steady the offense, there is a clear path for Bigsby to become a bigger piece of the plan in Week 2. The question is whether the Eagles decide to keep spreading those snaps around or finally let one runner take on more of the load. [Read more 🡒]