The Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line depth chart is stacked with experienced talent. Teams needing upgrades in the trenches have called the front office to gauge their interest in a potential trade. Word around the league is that the Eagles have fielded calls on multiple offensive linemen, namely former first-round pick Andre Dillard and restricted free agent guard Nate Herbig.
NFL News and Rumors: Eagles receive interest in Andre Dillard, Nate Herbig
The chatter in league circles is that the Eagles — who have a surplus of talent on the offensive line after back-to-back years of thrusting young players into action — have received inquiries from OL-needy teams. The prime targets for those teams have been Dillard and Herbig.
Dillard, the team’s swing tackle, played well in a handful of games at left tackle this past season, while Herbig has started 17 games at guard during his three years with the team. Herbig, who received the right of first refusal restricted tender on Tuesday, can play both guard spots and center. Dillard, 26, is appealing as a young left tackle for a team needing a blindside blocker.
Herbig, 23, whose restricted tender is valued at $2.43 million, can likely be had for a Day 3 draft pick or an affordable role player on a rookie contract. The return for Dillard would likely be a Day 2 pick, given his draft pedigree and position.
If retained, Herbig is expected to compete for the starting right guard job with veteran Isaac Seumalo and former fourth-round pick Jack Driscoll. Dillard would remain as the team’s swing tackle if he stayed in Philadelphia.
Eagles’ in-season extensions take heat off free agency
While several big-name players have swapped jerseys over the past few days, the Eagles’ lone contribution to the movement has been a three-year, $45 million contract with unique pass rusher Haason Reddick. That said, Reddick is coming off back-to-back double-digit sack seasons and should help the Eagles in that regard after the defense finished second-to-last in that category last year.
The Eagles have also been less busy at the start of free agency because of the business they handled last year. The team signed four starters to extensions during the regular season. Left tackle Jordan Mailata, tight end Dallas Goedert, nickel corner Avonte Maddox, and defensive end Josh Sweat all cashed in well ahead of their impending free agency. Mailata and Sweat received deals that were seen as team-friendly at the time of pen meeting paper.
Eagles’ remaining needs
While the Eagles haven’t been as active as some expected them to be in free agency, they still have three first-round picks in April. They also have five total selections in the first three rounds.
The Eagles have needs at safety, defensive end, linebacker, wide receiver, and cornerback. While they could wait to fill those holes in the draft, the NFL free agency period is still in the midway stages of its first wave. There’s still a lot of work that can be accomplished in free agency over the next month.