The Eagles are staring at a significant short-term problem on the interior of their offensive line, and Landon Dickerson isn’t pretending otherwise.
Just a day after Philadelphia’s Week 1 win over the Washington Commanders, the three-time Pro Bowl left guard is expected to land on injured reserve, which would keep him out for at least the next four games. Dickerson said the issue traces back to getting rolled up on in a training camp practice, and he admitted on SportsRadio 94WIP Monday night that Sunday’s outing was a mess.
“I was a complete liability yesterday. Again, that was my fault.
I know I said earlier in camp, I shouldn’t be out there until I feel healthy. A few weeks ago, got rolled up on in practice.
I thought as weeks went by it would get better. It didn’t and we kind of went out there and finally got some imaging on it today, figured out what was wrong with it.
Really the best plan going forward is to put me on IR so I can get this thing better to have a good stretch at the back end of the season vs. kind of what happened last year, go out there limping through 18 weeks. I don’t think anyone wants to see that again because that was just ugly. I don’t want to do that again because that was just some BS.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni also addressed Dickerson’s play after the opener, pointing to the guard’s raw power while acknowledging the pressure he allowed at times.
“I think what you what you see with Landon is his extreme power. He’s a big man who’s able to move guys off the spot.
If you go back and you look at, OK so he gives up some pressures, all right. But he also caved in the side on Saquon’s long run on that third down, and just did a really good job of pushing their defensive tackle and displacing him, which is a big job description for him.
He’s tough as heck. We’ve won a ton of games with Landon, and there’s a lot of good things that he can do. Just like every player on our team from yesterday’s game, and every coach for that matter, there’s good moments, and there are moments that we got to fix, and and that’s where we are, and can’t tell you how much I think of Landon and the player that he is, and particularly that power and that size where he can move guys off their off the spot at will, against their will.”
With Dickerson out, the Eagles are likely to lean on Drew Kendall in that spot, though Willie Lampkin is also an option. There’s also a chance the team adjusts at center, since Cam Jurgens had a rough Week 1 of his own, and that could affect which backup gets the nod.
Dickerson also brushed off any talk that this injury means he’s nearing retirement. On 94WIP later in the show, he laughed off the idea, noting he wouldn’t have spent seven figures this offseason trying to get his body right if he were close to finished. He expects to be back in four weeks, but the real question is whether the time off finally gets him right.
In Other News...
Phillies Just Lost A Depth Piece To A Rival For Nothing
The Phillies roster churn this week reached a familiar kind of crossroads, with infielder Christian Cairo moving on after spending the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Cairo never got into a big-league game for Philadelphia, but he was part of the organizations infield depth picture, the kind of player teams like to keep nearby in case the major-league roster needs a quick patch.
Instead, Cairo is headed to a division rival after being claimed off waivers by the Mets, who had an open spot on their 40-man roster following the designation of reliever Chris Devenski. For the Phillies, it is a small move on paper but a reminder that even depth pieces can disappear quickly when another club has room to grab them. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies May Have Found An Expensive Answer To Their Outfield Problem
The Phillies have spent enough time looking for a long-term fix in the corner outfield that even an expensive option starts to make sense if it solves the problem cleanly. Seiya Suzuki fits that conversation because his recent work suggests a player who can handle right field and bring impact at the plate, which is exactly the kind of profile Philadelphia has been hunting as it tries to stabilize the edges of its lineup.
Suzukis appeal comes with the usual catch for a player in that tier: he is no bargain, and the age-and-contract side of the equation matters as much as the bat and glove. Still, the fit is easy to see for a Phillies club that wants more certainty in the outfield, and the question is less about whether Suzuki checks boxes than whether Philadelphia is willing to pay the kind of price a true answer at the position would require. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Already Second Guessing One Bullpen Deadline Decision
The Phillies went into the deadline looking for relief help and came away with Brooks Raley, a move that made sense at the time for a club trying to tighten up the back end of games. Since then, though, the fit has looked shakier. Raley has stumbled in recent appearances, and the kinds of late-inning spots Philadelphia wanted to stabilize have instead turned into fresh anxiety.
Relief markets are always part performance, part timing, and the Phillies are already facing the sort of hindsight that comes with every bullpen deal. Erik Miller, Luke Weaver and Tyler Wells all drew attention as alternatives because they were available and pitching well this season, which only sharpens the questions around Philadelphias choice. The season is still unfolding, but the early returns have made this one deadline call look far less certain than it did on paper. [Read more 🡒]
