Jason Peters isn’t really gone, much less forgotten, as Andre Dillard tries to step in for the Eagles great

Replacing one of the greatest players in the history of your franchise is a tough gig, especially when he’s still right there with you, lining up three spots to your right.

Does Andre Dillard feel the pressure, stepping into Jason Peters’ extra-wide cleats at left tackle?

“Well, sure, there’s a lot of pressure and responsibility. You can’t really dwell on that, you know? I’m the guy for the position,” Dillard, the Eagles’ first-round draft pick in 2019, told reporters Wednesday. “I’m going to keep proving that I’m the guy for the spot. Just do my best, and go on from there.”

The Eagles’ succession plan back in the winter was for Peters to finish his storied career elsewhere, but after they bid him a fond, thanks-for-the-memories farewell as he entered free agency, two things happened: Nobody leaped to sign a 38-year-old left tackle, nine Pro Bowl appearances notwithstanding, and then in June, the team’s All-Pro right guard, Brandon Brooks, tore his left Achilles.

So Peters returned to play right guard, with the obvious keep-this-in-your-back-pocket bonus that should Dillard not fare well, it would be pretty simple to slide JP back into the spot he took over from Tra Thomas in 2009. Backup Matt Pryor then would be first in line to fill in at right guard, a less crucial position than left tackle.

Dillard wasn’t asked about that exact scenario during his brief Zoom call with reporters. He was asked how he felt about Peters’ return.

“I’m happy. … Having a familiar face back, a guy that’s legendary, that has a lot of knowledge, it’s good to have him on board because he’s one of the greatest linemen ever,” Dillard said. “It just bolsters our group, and I’m excited to keep learning from him this year.”

Note to readers: In the Zoom era of reportage forced upon us by the pandemic, one can’t just wait until all the other reporters leave a guy’s locker, then lean in and ask, “Really? Wouldn’t this all be a lot easier for you if JP had ended up in Las Vegas or Seattle or some other much-more-than-socially distanced location?”

But, as nearly everyone in the NFL says at least once a day right now, “It is what it is.”

Dillard had his ups and downs filling in here and there as a rookie, probably more downs than the Eagles envisioned when they drafted him 22nd overall, rejoicing at their luck. He’d come out of Washington State widely projected to go in the top 10 or 15, but a strong defensive line class bumped the offensive tackle group down in the draft order.

From his arrival, Dillard showed smooth feet and effortless athleticism, as advertised, but his 6-foot-5, 315-pound frame was far from chiseled. Dillard lacked the ham-sized biceps and massive shoulders of Peters (listed officially at 6-4, 328, a weight estimate that might date from 2004, when he entered the league as a tight end in Buffalo) and Brooks, 6-5, who has said he played last season at around 350.

In three starts at left tackle and one debacle of a start at right tackle, Dillard got pushed around more than would seem ideal for a first-round talent. Pro Football Focus, which rated Peters’ season sixth overall among offensive tackles (right tackle Lane Johnson ranked second) pegged Dillard at the 78th spot.

“I think he has absolutely improved in the strength department. And he needed to,” offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland said as this training camp opened.

Center Jason Kelce trained with Dillard a bit this offseason, during which, Dillard says, he added about 20 pounds, without hiking his body fat percentage.

“He’s had a really good offseason; he’s put on some weight, put on some strength,” Kelce said recently. “Quite frankly, his only weakness as a player last year was bull-rushes and stuff like that. If he can improve on that, at the very least, we have a good tackle.”

Dillard said he feels more capable of “sitting guys down,” and he feels just generally more capable, overall.

“This time around, it’s basically night and day in terms of my confidence in myself,” he said.

Dillard, who came to football relatively late, has had to add weight before. Mike Monan, his offensive line coach at Woodlinville (Wash.) High School, said last year that Dillard weighed “a buck-ninety-five” as a sophomore. He was still trying to fill out when he got to college.

“I didn’t really know how to do it,” Dillard said Wednesday, other than to “wake up in the middle of the night and drink shakes and stuff like that.”

The Eagles have nutritionists who can figure out healthier plans, and this year they have Ted Rath, the new director of sports performance, who aided in Dillard’s quest to get stronger.

“Ted came in like a ball of fire. I’ve never seen anybody with more energy than that guy,” Dillard said.

Dillard’s high school coaches had to convince him he was good enough to play on the varsity as a sophomore; they held a team ceremony where they presented him with a varsity jersey, to show him that he was accepted by his older teammates.

That kind of careful coaxing isn’t a big part of the NFL culture. When Dillard was asked Wednesday about his relationship with Stoutland, his answer reflected lingering traces of Dillard’s rookie-year struggles.

“We’re a lot more familiar with each other, just our personalities and how we, kind of, [interact]. In terms of how he coaches me … that hasn’t changed and probably won’t change. Because he has his coaching methods, so,” Dillard paused before concluding: “I feel closer to him.”

Eagles fans were not super-patient with the rookie, especially after he was benched at halftime of his awful start at right tackle against Seattle. This offseason, did he reflect on how he was perceived?

“From my perspective, I don’t really take to heart what fans say,” Dillard said. “They’re not on our practice field, or in our meeting rooms. The only opinion that matters is coaches and players.”