"I Played Like A Liability": Landon Dickerson Reveals He Was Hurt Two Weeks Before Eagles Week 1 Game
The Eagles beat the Commanders 24-22 anyway. Then Landon Dickerson went on the radio and explained exactly why their offensive line looked so shaky doing it. He had been injured for two weeks and had no business being on that field.
Philadelphia Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson was placed on injured reserve on Monday with a knee injury, ending any hope he would be available for the next four games. Hours later, he went on SportsRadio 94WIP and gave one of the more brutally honest post-injury interviews the NFL has heard in recent memory.
"Honestly, address the elephant in the room, I played like s*** yesterday," Dickerson said. "I was a complete liability yesterday. Again, that was my fault. I know I said earlier in camp, I shouldn't be out there until I feel healthy. A few weeks ago, got rolled up on in practice. I thought as weeks went by it would get better. It didn't."
The Eagles won their season opener against the Washington Commanders 24-22 despite Dickerson giving up four pressures and struggling throughout the run game. Jalen Hurts scrambled for 22 yards on the final touchdown drive to seal it. The offensive line issues were visible enough that the result felt closer than it should have been against Washington.
Landon Dickerson Injury Update: What Happened and What He Said
Dickerson was rolled up on during a training camp practice several weeks before the opener. He hoped the knee would improve on its own in the days that followed. It did not, and by Sunday he was playing through what imaging later confirmed was a structural issue significant enough to warrant injured reserve.
He described the decision to put himself on IR as the right one, framing it specifically around what happened the previous season. "What happened last year was going out there and limping through 18 weeks, and I don't think anybody wants to see that again because that was just ugly." He ruled out any connection to last year's injuries, saying he had been feeling great in camp until the practice incident.
What the Eagles Do Without Dickerson for Four Games
Drew Kendall is the most likely candidate to start at left guard in Dickerson's absence, with Willie Lampkin as an alternative option. The Eagles are also weighing whether to make a change at center, given that Cam Jurgens also struggled in Week 1, a decision that would affect which depth lineman gets the call.
Philadelphia travels to play the Tennessee Titans in Week 2, where they will face All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Getting into a fistfight with Simmons without one of their best offensive linemen available is not the ideal outcome of their season-opening win.