When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Andre Dillard in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, the hope was that he’d be the team’s long-term solution at left tackle.
But thanks to a series of events that included injury and the rise of fellow tackle Jordan Mailata, that didn’t pan out and instead Dillard is in a new home in 2023.
After inking a three-year, $29 million deal with the Tennessee Titans, Dillard, who has the versatility to play everywhere but center, is in line to be a full-time starting left tackle, a role he says he has his “sights set on.”
Dillard was emotional during his introductory press conference when talking about his “fresh start” with the Titans and even said signing in Tennessee meant more to him than the day he was drafted.
“I am 100 percent beyond grateful for this entire opportunity,” Dillard said, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “The emotions I felt (signing here) pretty much well surpassed what I felt when my name was called at the draft. It is still kind of sinking in right now. This is definitely a good place for me. I am just beyond excited about what’s to come here.”
A clean slate for Andre Dillard 🙌 pic.twitter.com/XfDReCdg7w
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) March 20, 2023
Tennessee’s need at left tackle came about following the release of Taylor Lewan, who suffered his second torn ACL in three years during the 2022 campaign. The team was then forced to go to Dennis Daley, but that yielded disastrous results and he was never an option for 2023.
Because of their need at left tackle and limited amount of cap space, Dillard was always thought of as a great fit for Tennessee thanks to his potential upside and reasonable price.
Like many of us out there, the 27-year-old acknowledged he felt the Titans were “a good fit from the get-go.”
“It felt like a good fit from the get-go,” Dillard said. “I knew I wanted a fresh start after my four years with the Eagles, and it feels like they really believe in me here, and I believe in myself and my abilities that this is a place I can come and help the team.”
In what was one of his lighter moments of the presser, Dillard shared a funny story about his mom, who he says was quickly “decked out in Titans” gear after he signed.
“But I remember the next day after I got the call, my mom was already decked out in Titans,” he said. “I don’t even know how she got the stuff. Amazon, like next-day shipping or something.”
It remains to be seen how much the signing of Dillard changes Tennessee’s draft plans, especially with the No. 11 overall pick, where the team has been expected to take a left tackle.
But the Titans aren’t exactly locked-in to the former first-round pick, leaving the door open for general manager Ran Carthon to still take a franchise left tackle in April.
According to Over the Cap, the Titans can comfortably get out of the deal in 2025, although they do have a bit of dead money attached to the two void years in 2026 and 2027 that help keep Dillard’s 2023 cap hit low.
However, if Dillard pans out and proves to be a long-term answer for the Titans at left tackle, this deal will be a steal.
