How will the Eagles replace Landon Dickerson? They’re trying their best to keep the answer close to the vest.
The Eagles insist that they are keeping Dickerson's replacement "in-house" and continued to play coy during the portion of Thursday's practice open to reporters.
The Eagles and their coaches are well aware of when and how long reporters and cameras are permitted to document practice, which means the early part of individual drills Thursday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex needed to be taken with a grain of salt.
There was Fred Johnson, not Drew Kendall, lining up at left guard with the first-team offensive line as they started their work for the day as a unit. But Kendall, the expected replacement for injured left guard Landon Dickerson, wasn’t with the backups. He lined up to the left of Jordan Mailata as the unit went through its first drill.
The Eagles are playing coy, and it’s possible — perhaps even likely — that the arrangement of the group was just a diversion tactic to try to hide from the Titans as long as possible who will replace Dickerson for the first of at least four games the Eagles will be without him.
» READ MORE: Drew Kendall’s job replacing Landon Dickerson on Eagles O-line would be to ‘make sure we don’t skip a beat’
There are a few combinations the Eagles could go with, but we probably can write off one where Kendall lines up left of Mailata as a tight end.
Perhaps this is a mystery that can only be solved by Benoit Blanc or Ben Gates. Reporters have tried to crack the code this week, but the Eagles are holding their cards close.
“We’re going to keep that in-house in terms of what our plan is for this week, just for competitive reasons,” offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said Tuesday when asked about one possible combination that would involve moving center Cam Jurgens to left guard.
A day later, Nick Sirianni was asked if Kendall, who played center at Boston College but has been cross-training at guard, was a better fit at center or guard.
“That’s a tricky way you’re asking that question,” Sirianni said with a smile. “I think he’s able to do both.”
That is why the Eagles do indeed have a few options. They have multiple players who can play in more than one spot. Kendall is one of them, and Johnson — who may have been used as a pawn Thursday afternoon — and Willie Lampkin are others.
Johnson has exclusively been a backup tackle with the Eagles, but he did play some right guard when he was with Cincinnati. Of his 1,871 career snaps, 144 of them were at right guard. He has never played left guard in the NFL. Lampkin, meanwhile, can play center or guard but his only NFL snaps to date are on kickoff return, which he did in his NFL debut Sunday.
» READ MORE: Eagles wide receiver Hollywood Brown was ‘surprised’ by lack of playing time in Week 1 win
That’s why Kendall, who had a strong camp, seems like the most logical — and likely — choice. He replaced Dickerson during some practice reps with the first-team in training camp. He was the backup left guard when the Eagles went through their pregame warmups in Week 1.
But Kendall didn’t bite when asked Wednesday after practice what his role was in practice earlier that day.
“A little bit of everything,” said Kendall, who already is well-trained in the art of public relations in his second NFL season. “We’re trying to keep everything in-house. Not trying to give out too much.
“I’m just excited for any opportunity ahead. We have a lot of good guys in our room. Everyone has been cross-training at different positions throughout the summer. So whatever the five is, I’m just excited to try to contribute to this team and we’ll get our best five out there.”
Kendall even kept his guard up when asked a hypothetical about the challenge, should his number be called Sunday, of starting a game with Titans interior lineman Jeffery Simmons lined up on the other side.
“He’s a great player,” Kendall said. “Whatever happens between the five that’s out there, we have a lot of respect for him, he’s been doing it at a high level for a very long time. We’re excited for it.”
Mailata didn’t reveal anything Wednesday, but he did exude confidence.
“We’re pretty lucky to have the depth that we do because I’d go to war with any one of these guys that are behind Landon, that are behind anybody,” he said.
Injury updates
Cooper DeJean (calf/abdomen) and Jalen Carter (wrist) returned to the practice field on Thursday after both were nonparticipants on Wednesday.
Carter appeared to be sporting a sizable cast on his right arm. He finished the game Sunday but did not talk to reporters after the game as he left with a member of the team’s training staff.
While those key defensive starters returned Thursday, starting safety Andrew Mukuba was not on the field during the brief portion of practice open to reporters. Mukuba was not on the injury report Wednesday.
The Eagles eked out a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders thanks, in large part, to Jalen Hurts channeling the elements of his game that make him so dangerous. But when it comes to other areas of the offense, concerns from last year still linger. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy assess Hurts’ performance, Sean Mannion’s debut as offensive coordinator, and warning signs on the offensive line Listen here.
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