With less than a week remaining until the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs still don’t have a surefire starting left tackle on the roster.
Though the team can address left tackle via the draft, PFF’s Brad Spielberger thinks Kansas City is the best landing spot for veteran free agent OT Andre Dillard.
“Dillard’s short stint with the Titans did not go well, but he was a student of Jeff Stoutland University with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the former first-round pick has experience at both tackle spots as well as at guard,” Spielberger wrote March 28.
What to Know About Andre Dillard
Dillard, 28, was a first-round pick — 22nd overall — of the Eagles in 2019 out of Washington State.
Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 315 pounds, Dillard was supposed to be the future starting left tackle of the Eagles once the team parted ways with six-time All-Pro Jason Peters. But that never came to fruition.
During the 2019 and 2020 seasons — when Dillard and Peters were on the roster together — Peters missed a total of 11 regular season games. But Dillard wasn’t able to show enough during his early opportunities in the NFL to prove he was the team’s future starter. That’s why in 2022 — Dillard’s final season in Philly — Dillard registered just 37 snaps during the regular season and 20 during the team’s Super Bowl run that postseason, according to PFF.
In his three seasons with the Eagles, Dillard surrendered 45 total quarterback pressures (35 hurries, 5 sacks, 5 hits) on 714 offensive snaps played.
During the 2023 offseason, the Tennessee Titans signed Dillard to a three-year, $29 million deal, which included a $5.9 million signing bonus and $13 million guaranteed, per Spotrac.
Dillard’s only season in Tennessee did not go well. In 16 games played during the 2023 season — four of which he started — Dillard surrendered 41 total QB pressures (20 hurries, 12 sacks, 9 hits) and had 5 penalties called against him.
His poor play last season caused Dillard to be released by the Titans on March 13.
Over his four years in the NFL, Dillard has made $19.8 million, according to Spotrac.
Would Andre Dillard Fill a Need for Chiefs?
Dillard would potentially fill a need at left tackle for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
The former first-round pick was part of a Titans offensive line last season that gave up 64 total sacks, which ranked fifth-worst in the NFL. That proves there wasn’t a whole lot of continuity along the entire offensive line in Tennessee. So the blame shouldn’t be completely put on Dillard’s shoulders for his poor play, though he’s not completely clear of criticism.
If Dillard were to sign with Kansas City, he would need to compete with second-year offensive tackle Wanya Morris for the starting left tackle job. Last season, Morris filled in for veteran Donovan Smith at times and allowed a total of 24 QB pressures (15 hurries, 7 hits, 2 sacks) in 235 total pass-blocking snaps, per PFF. So there’s no guarantee that Dillard would be the starter if he signed with the Chiefs.
But what would ultimately determine how well Dillard fits with the Chiefs is his contract demands.
At this point, Dillard hasn’t proven to be a starter-caliber player. So, a one-year prove-it deal that includes many incentives is a fair contract for Dillard.
According to the Over The Cap, once the Chiefs remove cornerback L’Jarius Sneed‘s $19.8 million cap hit from their books, the team will have $26.3 million in cap space.
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