Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/y9ryu6rp
Originally published Sept. 14, 2026
PHILADELPHIA — When asked straight-up if former Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson is still capable of playing at the level the Eagles need, the first word out of Nick Sirianni’s mouth wasn’t “yes.”
But he did defend his player — whom the Eagles placed on IR a few hours later with a knee injury.
“I think what you see with Landon is his extreme power,” the head coach said Monday. “He’s a big man who is able to move guys off a spot.
“If you go back and look, OK, so he gives up some pressures. But he also caved in the side (of the Washington defensive line) on Saquon’s long run on that third down and just did a good job of pushing their defensive tackle and displacing him, which is a big job description for him.”
Sirianni was referencing Barkley’s 42-yard burst on third-and-2 midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s win. But Barkley frequently had defenders in his face behind the line of scrimmage. Dickerson, who turns 28 this month, allowed four pressures and a quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus. Center Cam Jurgens also struggled.
Dickerson had a down year in 2025, when he played through knee, back and ankle injuries. In camp last month, he said he was feeling fully healthy, but clearly he’s been hampered. He had meniscus surgery just before the start of last season.
“He’s tough as heck,” Sirianni said. “We’ve won a ton of games with Landon, and there’s a lot of good things that he can do. Just like every player on our team from yesterday’s game, and every coach for that matter, there’s good moments and there’s moments that we’ve got to fix. And that’s where we are. I can’t tell you how much I think of Landon and the player that he is, particularly that power and that size, where he can move guys off their spot at will, against their will.”
Dickerson, who made three straight Pro Bowls from 2022 to 2024, will be eligible to return from injured reserve after he misses four games.
Hurts is off to a good start
Quarterback Jalen Hurts was 14 of 25 for 203 yards with three touchdowns and no picks for a passer rating of 122.2. He also ran seven times for 46 yards. Most of all, he showed comfort, command and versatility in the new offense (despite having to scramble under pressure at times), including operating from under center, reading route progressions and making rare seven-step drops.
“I think he did a really nice job, had a really nice game and made a lot of plays,” Sirianni said. “He made plays that only Jalen Hurts is capable of making … across the entire league. But with some of those new things we were doing, I thought he did a nice job.
“It’s not a surprise to me. We had 46 days or 47 days in training camp to get ready for that first game, so we’re seeing that on a daily basis, hat improvement. … I thought he handled those things well. And to be quite honest with you, we wouldn’t have put those things in if we didn’t think he could function in them at a very high level.”
The deep drops aren’t traditionally part of a West Coast attack, but Hurts is such a good deep-ball thrower, first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion wanted to include them on the menu. Although he brings a West Coast system, Mannion clearly showed flexibility in catering to the personnel of the roster. His replacement could include Willie Lampkin or Drew Kendall.
Notes
● WR Hollywood Brown, who signed a one-year deal in the offseason, didn’t play at all Sunday. Sirianni said he expects that to change going forward.
● RT Lane Johnson appeared in the 169th regular-season game of his Eagles career, tying Chuck Bednarik (1949-62) for eighth in franchise history. Among Eagles OL, only Jason Kelce (193, 2011-23) has played in more games. DE Brandon Graham (215, 2010-25) played the most
● On six defensive targets, linebacker Zack Baun allowed three catches for minus-2 yards, according to NextGen Stats.
● The Eagles’ offense ran 25 passing plays and 25 rushing plays against Washington.
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.