Interesting to see how the Eagles are treating Dillard at this time only at LT.............but firmly in the camp of cross training their OLinmen.
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Eagles hint at cross-training Halapoulivaati Vaitai at guard
ByJEFF KERR May 10, 4:31 PM
The Philadelphia Eagles may still have some use for
Halapoulivaati Vaitai after all. With the selection of
Andre Dillard in the first round, the Eagles will be shuffling some pieces along the offensive line thanks t a surplus of offensive tackles.
Dillard will strictly stay at left tackle, creating some openings at the position that once belonged to Vaitai and
Jordan Mailata. Vaitai was the No. 3 tackle on the Eagles the last three seasons, but that position may go to Dillard since the Eagles are keeping him at left tackle. The Eagles have cross-trained Vaitai to play both tackle positions, so he would still be the top backup to lane Johnson if he goes down with an injury.
For Vaitai to get more playing time, Eagles head coach
Doug Pederson hinted at giving him some snaps on the interior of the offensive line. The Eagles are thin at guard, which makes Vaitai a viable option.
"That was part of our plan all along since I've been here is we cross-train a lot of guys," Pederson said. "That's a big part of the success we've had being able to – a guy like [OL] Isaac [Seumalo] for instance. He's played tackle, he’s played center, he’s obviously secure at guard right now.
"But yeah, we cross-train guys and make sure we're covered at all bases. "We're always going to cross-train those guys. Big V [Vaitai] obviously; left tackle, right tackle, vice versa. He's been able to do that, and we’re going to continue to do that with those guys."
The Eagles will have to make a decision on Vaitai's future after the season as the 2016 fifth-round pick has his rookie contract set to expire. Vaitai would be the successor to Peters at left tackle, but still can find a spot on the Eagles offensive line even with the development of Mailata and Dillard.
The Eagles plan to keep Dillard at left tackle and cross-train Mailata at both tackle spots, which doesn't affect Vaitai's playing time but he has more combined seasons on the Eagles offensive line than Dillard and Mailata. Training Vaitai at guard would help the Eagles on the interior of the offensive line considering they don't have many experienced backups at that position.