Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2022, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.
We already looked at receivers, cornerbacks, running backs, linebackers, defensive tackles, interior offensive line and specialists.
Up today: Offensive tackles.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Le’Raven Clark
Roob: You don’t see a lot of players get a contract extension a few months after they‘re released, but that’s what happened with Clark. He was released in August, spent most of the year on the practice squad, then was promoted to the 53 in late December and got a one-year barely-above-minimum contract extension through 2022. It doesn’t guarantee anything, so the Eagles can still release him with no dead money. Some contract extension, eh? Clark has been around the league five years, started 16 games, played for Nick Sirianni in Indy. He’s a good guy to have around. But I don’t see him starting out the season on the 53.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: In a move that flew under the radar, the Eagles signed Le’Raven Clark to a contract in December, keeping him with the team through the 2022 season. Now, that doesn’t mean he’s definitely going to make the roster but it tells you that the Eagles thought enough of him to make sure Clark would be under contract for this next season. The former third-round pick played in four games in the 2021 regular season after coming back from an Achilles injury in 2020. If the Eagles are able to trade away Andre Dillard, then Clark becomes the swing tackle and a very affordable cap hit of just over $1.1 million in 2022.
NFL
Verdict: Stays
Andre Dillard
Roob: This is an interesting one. The Eagles would love to trade Dillard, and he showed during his four-game early season stint at left tackle that he can be at worst a functional starter at left tackle. I don’t know how much value he has considering he doesn’t play guard and hasn’t played right tackle. But he does come cheap. The Eagles won’t get a lot back for him, but I still think they’ll find a taker.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: Even though he hasn’t really panned out as a first-round pick, the Eagles are a better team with Dillard than without him. But now that it’s clear there’s not a starting gig for Dillard, he becomes a prime trade candidate. He showed great improvement in 2021 from the rookie version we saw of him back in 2019. There are so many tackle-needy teams in the NFL so I see Howie Roseman moving the former first-rounder and getting decent value back in return.
Verdict: Goes
Jack Driscoll
Roob: Assuming Jason Kelce comes back, I like Driscoll in that Big V role, backing up both both guards and both tackles. Driscoll has shown he can play at a high level either inside or outside, but he hasn’t shown he can stay healthy, so that’s the next challenge for him. There may be a time he’s a full-time starter, and he’s shown he has that capability, but to me, his value right now is backing up everywhere. He hasn’t played left guard or left tackle but I’m sure he could handle it. Just can’t keep getting hurt.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: The Eagles clearly like Driscoll as a guard and as a tackle. He could be listed under either and that’s part of the versatility the Eagles like in their backup offensive linemen. Driscoll has some potential and the 2020 fourth-round pick has played well when called on. The problem early in his career has been injuries; he’s dealt with a few in recent years. Because of that injury history, not sure how much the Eagles can really rely on him, but he’s obviously worth keeping going into Year 3 as a player who can plug in at a few different spots along the line.
Verdict: Stays
Lane Johnson
Roob: Johnson didn’t make his fourth Pro Bowl this year, but once he came back from his three-game layoff in Week 7 he played as well as he ever has, and that’s saying something. And he did make 2nd-team All-Pro, which was some consolation. One day there will be an Eagles offensive line without Johnson or Kelce, who have played alongside each other for nine years now. But I don’t think anybody is ready for that to happen anytime soon.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: We saw a resurgent Johnson in 2021. He might never completely be over that left ankle injury but he was able to manage it better this past season. While Johnson missed three games as he dealt with some mental health issues, when he came back, Johnson was dominant. He was made he wasn’t even named as an alternate to the Pro Bowl team but he was a second-teamer on the All-Pro team. He’s in his 30s now but Johnson is still under contract through the 2025 season. We’ll find out eventually if he lasts here that long but 2022 is an obvious one. He’s back and the Eagles need him to play at a high level again.
Verdict: Stays
Jordan Mailata
Roob: It’s weird to think about now, since we just watched Mailata play like a Pro Bowl left tackle this past year, but 17 months ago he had never played in a meaningful organized football game. The Eagles are so fortunate to have Tra Thomas hold down left tackle from 1998 through 2008 and then Jason Peters for most of 2009 through 2020. Mailata is continuing that elite LT tradition, and he’s only 24 and signed through 2025, and by that point, Tra, J.P. and Mailata will quite likely have manned left tackle for the Eagles for 28 years. That’s amazing.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: This past season was a big one for the former Australian rugby player. Not only did he win the starting job from Dillard but he was then rewarded with a four-year, $64 million contract extension that keeps him in Philly through the 2025 season. He won’t even be 30 when this contract is up, so he could end up being the Eagles’ left tackle for the next decade if he can stay healthy. And that $16 million per season contract might end up looking like an absolute bargain in a year.
Verdict: Stays
Brett Toth
Roob: Toth has seemed to evolve from a long-range Jeff Stoutland project who was essentially just a run blocker at Army and undrafted in 2019 to a legitimate candidate as a backup tackle. The problem is he just had ACL surgery in late January, and based on Toth’s own nine-month rehab estimate, he won’t even be ready to practice until October. So eventually he may get back into the o-line rotation but looks like he'll start out the season on PUP.
Verdict: Stays (but not on the 53)
Dave: I was on the fence about Toth but the Eagles simply can’t keep every one of Jeff Stoutland’s projects. There will be a few linemen fighting for the last spot or two on the roster and the ones that don’t make it, the Eagles can try to sneak through to the practice squad eventually.
Verdict: Goes