Landon Dickerson Showing Why Eagles Took Him in Round Two
There were plenty of reasons for the Eagles to be happy about their Week 10 win, whether it was Jalen Hurts performance, rookie DeVonta Smith's two touchdown catches or the big play by Darius Slay on the defensive side of the ball.
Something that may be slipping under the radar though, is how rookie left guard Landon Dickerson played, and how much better he has gotten since being inserted into the Eagles starting lineup. In fact, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said Dickerson played a key role in the teams success in the run game on Sunday.
"I think he had a really good game," Sirianni said. "We graded him out really well. And he played a really good game."
The 6-foot-6, 330-pound Dickerson took over the starting job from Isaac Seumalo, who is done for the season with a Lisfranc injury suffered in Week 3 in Dallas.
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Eagles general manage Howie Roseman takes a lot of heat for some recent draft misses, but landing Dickerson might be a big hit in round two.
"Landon was drafted where he was for a reason," said Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. "Obviously, Howie [Roseman] saw that in him. I think everyone knew he was a good player and what he's been able to do these last couple weeks and keep improving and grinding."
The second-round pick out of Alabama in 2021, won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center and was named a first-team All-American in 2020. He was a bit of a surprise as the pick in round two, after suffering a ACL injury late in the season, but you are starting to see why the Eagles took him.
"I just continue to see him develop," Sirianni stated. "I think that a big credit of that goes to, obviously, Landon. A huge credit to that because, again, he's got the right makeup to reach his potential."
Sirianni added that the rest of the line has rubbed off on Dickerson and the unit is a key part of the Eagles recent success in the run game.
"Man, those guys – that offensive line played really well and it really started with Jason and Lane and moved on to the other guys as well. He'll (Dickerson) be getting a game ball with the rest of the offensive line. Any time you rush for over 200 yards, that offensive line is going to get a game ball."
An offensive line with Dickerson and Mailata on the left side of the line, could turn into a dominating force for years to come. The athletic duo is combines for nearly 700-pounds on the left side of the line with Dickerson, who is just 23 years old, while Mailata is only 24 and just signed a new four-year, $64 million contract extension.
"He's a big, physical guy," Steichen said about Dickerson. "So, when he gets those one-on-ones, he’s doing a good job. And when he's double-teaming guys – when you can get 600 pounds on 300 pounds on double-teams, it's going to help."
If the team continues to use their best asset, their offensive line, they might just run their way right into the playoffs.