Getty A trade market appears to be developing for available left tackles, and Andre Dillard fits the bill - if the Eagles are willing to part with the valuable backup.
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman could suddenly have an opportunity to do what he does best and get significant trade return for a player who won’t be on the Eagles next year regardless. The question is, would it be in the Eagles best interest to do so?
With multiple teams suffering injuries at left tackle, and Andre Dillard eligible to return in Week 5 from his fractured arm, which should be healed up around Week 6 or Week 7, a trade market could be forming for the 2019 first round pick.
The Los Angeles Chargers lost left tackle Rashawn Slater for the season with a torn biceps, according to ESPN. Chargers head coach Brandon Staley announced that rookie sixth round pick Jamaree Salyer will be taking over as the starter, according to USA Today. If he struggles, the Chargers could be in the market for a trade.
Elsewhere, the San Francisco 49ers are dealing with an injury to left tackle Trent Williams that could turn into a long-term absence, the jury is still out. Williams suffered a high ankle sprain, and while the Niners are hopeful that he won’t need surgery according to Yahoo Sports, they aren’t certain. For now, former fifth round pick Colton McKivitz is filling in.
Both the Chargers and 49ers are 1-2 at this point in the season, but both had winning records last year and came into the season with the hopeful expectation to be playoff teams. If they aren’t happy with the play they get from their new starters, and they manage to keep their heads above water, they could very well be looking for left tackle help at the end of the month as the trade deadline approaches.
Offensive Line Struggles Could Force Bears Onto Trade Market
Meanwhile, at 2-1, the Chicago Bears are on the other side of the equation. They haven’t suffered an injury and didn’t come into the season with high expectations, but they’re 2-1 and their offensive line is in shambles. League sources told Heavy’s Matt Lombardo that they’re going to be forced to seek help.
“They don’t really have a choice,” the source told Heavy, when asked if the Bears will be likely to try to upgrade the line. “They have to do something, anything, to see if they have a franchise quarterback or not.”
“I don’t think they’re going to find the solution to their problems in free agency,” the source added. “They’re in dire need of wide receiver and offensive line help.”
The fact that three teams could be looking to fill a void that Andre Dillard is capable of stepping into could create the perfect storm: a bidding war that forces the Eagles hand.
Eagles Unlikely to Let Dillard Go Without Substantial Return
Ultimately, the Eagles likely need Dillard too. They’re a contender, and he’s their only backup offensive tackle that is viewed as reliable enough to step in and deliver relatively high quality play. Imagine if the Eagles had traded Halapoulivaati Vaitai before Jason Peters was injured in 2017. Who knows if the Super Bowl run would have been possible?
That said, the 2022 team is not the same as the 2017 team. The Eagles caught lightning in the bottle during a rebuilding process in 2017, whereas this team is poised to enter into a three to five year window of contention and holds substantial draft capital to boot.
If the Eagles could get a good enough offer, they might consider taking the risk this year in exchange for improving their odds of contending over the next handful of years.
It appears the fair market value for a player like Dillard would be somewhere in the range of a fourth through sixth round pick, but it seems unlikely the Eagles would accept that return unless they are much higher on Driscoll than most onlookers.
However, if a bidding war begins and someone ups their offer to perhaps a second or third round pick, Howie Roseman would have to be tempted. It’s worth keeping an eye on over the coming weeks, with the NFL trade deadline looming on November 1.