Landon Dickerson’s IR Stint Might Be Bigger News Than the Win
Jun 10, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson (69) stretches during minicamp at Jefferson Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The Eagles won their season opener against the Washington Commanders, but the offensive line had some issues in the game, and one of the biggest reasons was the play of Landon Dickerson. Dickerson, who was placed on injured reserve Monday, played through injury all of last season, and losing him for at least four games after a shaky Week 1 is not something that the Eagles wanted to see.
The move was an obvious one, with PFF’s numbers matching the eye test after watching tape of the 24-22 win over Washington. Dickerson completely earned the 40.3 overall grade he was given, ranking him 136th out of 138 qualifying offensive linemen in Week 1. He alone allowed four pressures and a quarterback hit, all while his run blocking suffered mightily. Saquon Barkley was hit in the backfield on multiple carries on Dickerson’s assignments. Center Cam Jurgens struggled through inconsistent play as well, effectively shutting down half the line for Barkley.
The move came into focus once PFF’s numbers matched what fans watching Sunday’s tape already suspected. Dickerson earned a 40.3 overall grade, ranking 136th out of 138 qualifying offensive linemen in Week 1. He allowed four pressures and a quarterback hit, and his run blocking suffered too, with Barkley getting hit in the backfield on multiple carries that started clean before Dickerson lost his footing at the point of attack. Center Cam Jurgens struggled through his own uneven day at the same time, and the interior line as a whole drew the bulk of the blame for the protection breakdowns and penalties that stalled several drives, including a costly holding penalty after getting burned on back-to-back in the third quarter. To his credit, Dickerson addressed his performance head-on.
“I was a complete liability [Sunday], and a few weeks ago, got rolled up on in practice,” Dickerson said on WIP Monday. “I thought as weeks went by it would get better. It didn’t, and we finally got some imaging on it [Monday], figured out what was wrong with it.”
Initially, some of the struggles could be traced to a new blocking scheme, thanks to a new offensive coordinator installing new blocking patterns, but as the game wore on, it was obvious that Dickerson was not playing at the level he has shown in his career. Washington’s interior line made him pay for every hesitation. It’s fair to say the new blocking scheme was a portion of the issue, because the offensive line as a whole struggled, but Dickerson’s struggles stood out even more.
The imaging revealed a bone bruise in his right knee, which is a relief because of the fear that the meniscus injury that ended his 2025 season prematurely was a potential issue. He admitted that he rushed back after the surgery in August 2025, playing in 15 games without ever truly looking like himself. He underwent a stem cell treatment in Colombia during the offseason, something credited with him entering camp feeling better. That wasn’t enough to prevent this injury and this Week 1 setback. Dickerson was honest about the lessons learned from last season, and how it affected his approach to handling this injury.
“Really, the best plan moving forward is put me on IR so I can get this thing better,” Dickerson said, “to have a good stretch at the back end of the season versus what happened last year, was go out there and limp it through for 18 weeks. I don’t think anybody wants to see that again, because that was just ugly. I don’t want to do that again.”
Drew Kendall, a 2025 fifth-round pick out of Boston College, is the most likely candidate to step in at left guard, with Willie Lampkin also in the mix to get some snaps. Both showed real explosiveness in the preseason, albeit against second- and third-string competition, and translating that against NFL starters will be the real test here. Even with that, having two solid options will give the Eagles an insurance policy in case the injury to Dickerson lingers, or he isn’t back to Pro Bowl form when he returns.
This is the uncomfortable part of this whole situation. Dickerson tore both ACLs in college, had meniscus surgery, and now has a fresh knee issue in Week 1. After three procedures on a player’s knee, it starts to look like a pattern, and that does start to raise legitimate questions about his long-term durability at the NFL level, let alone the Pro Bowl standard he has set for himself. Four games without one of your anchors on the offensive line is already an immediate strain for the Eagles, but the potential long term impact of this can’t be ignored here as well.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible; we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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