Are you having a nice Friday night? Allow me to potentially worsen it!
Derrick Gunn reports Jason Peters is “like two weeks away from returning.” The Eagles placed the 38-year-old blocker on injured reserve ahead of their Week 4 game due to a toe injury.
Peters coming back to play left tackle would not be a welcomed development. Jordan Mailata has shown potential playing at that spot in Peters’ absence. And even if Peters is the better short-term option, which isn’t necessarily true, getting a look at Mailata should be the priority. The Eagles need to be operating with the long-term in mind. They’re obviously not in position to win much other than a truly awful division this season.
Doug Pederson was asked about the possibility of Mailata remaining at left tackle heading into Week 5:
Q. In Jordan Mailata’s case, is there a chance that he could hold onto this job for rest of the season if he does play well? And as a follow-up to that, with Jason Peters, we didn’t really ask you, is there a sense of what the timeline is for him?
COACH PEDERSON: In JP’s case, obviously we want to make sure he’s 100 percent with the injury that he has. Look, he’s a guy that as you guys know, he’s one that we have a maintenance plan with him, as well, during the week, and making sure he’s ready to go on game days. He’s doing really well in his rehab. Again, no timetable on his return at this time.
In the case of Jordan Mailata, as long as he plays well, right now, in the near future, it’s his job. But, at the same time, we understand that when JP is healthy, that’s a decision that we are going to have to make at that particular time. We are focused on this week, getting Jordan ready to go. He’s got a handful this week with Bud Dupree over there and T.J. Watt and those guys, so we’re focused on that right now.
Poll
Who should start at left tackle for the Eagles?
This poll is closed
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97%
Jordan Mailata
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2%
Jason Peters
Getting Peters back could be a positive development if the Eagles move him back to guard. He could be an upgrade over Jamon Brown, who is now starting with Matt Pryor on the reserve/COVID-19 list. It’s not like Brown, who turns in 28 in March, is some young prospect ... so replacing him would be acceptable if he doesn’t impress during the next couple games.
In all honesty, though, the Eagles would be best served by trading Peters ahead of the 2020 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 3. The return wouldn’t be amazing since this is an aging and injured player we’re talking about. But whatever the Eagles could get for him in return has more value than he does to the team for the rest of this season. There has to be some team desperate for offensive line help out there. A trade would also help to clear some cap space.