Philadelphia Eagles fans everywhere can officially exhale, at least a little bit. When star guard Landon Dickerson went down in practice on Sunday with a leg injury, it felt like the team was preparing for the worst-case scenario. But luckily, further testing has revealed something far less dire: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Dickerson is set to undergo what's being called a "minor procedure" to his meniscus after undergoing an MRI on his right knee.
The timeline for a return is a bit unclear right now, but it seems like Dickerson himself thinks the Sept. 4 season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys is still on the table.
Best-case scenario: Eagles Pro-Bowl guard Landon Dickerson will undergo what’s being described as “a minor procedure” on the meniscus in his right knee in the coming days. Dickerson then will be considered week to week, with the goal of returning for the Thursday night, Sept. 4… https://t.co/YyVFJP5uhT
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2025
Of course, we're not totally out of the woods yet; knee injuries are never to be taken lightly, especially not for linemen. But it seems like the structural damage was considered minimal enough to allow Dickerson not to miss too much time — which is a huge sigh of a relief, and a huge boon to Philly's chances of a Super Bowl repeat.
First and foremost, because Dickinson is that good. He's made three Pro Bowls since being taken in the second round out of Oklahoma back in 2021, and he's a big part of the league-best running game that the Eagles rode to a title last season. Especially with Mekhi Becton moving on, losing Dickinson on the interior would've been a huge blow.
But what really threatened to turn that blow into a full-on catastrophe was the depth chart behind Dickinson. Sure, Jeff Stoutland has worked his fair share of miracles, but just ask Houston Texans fans what having to rely on Kenyon Green as a starter can do to your offensive line.
Eagles can't afford to turn to Kenyon Green for an extended period
Green certainly wasn't the only problem up front for Houston last season, but he was a major reason why CJ Stroud spent much of it running for his life. He missed the 2023 season due to injury, but in two healthy campaigns in the NFL he graded out at 37.7 and 38.6, respectively, per PFF. Those are dismal numbers, and they certainly matched the eye test — Green was simply dismal, especially in pass protection, immediately collapsing the pocket and offering Stroud zero opportunity to survey his options downfield.
Of course, it wasn't all that long ago that Green was the No. 15 overall pick out of Texas A&M. The physical tools are very much there, and you can understand why the Eagles were willing to take a flier on him as a reserve this offseason. Stoutland has done more with less over his time as offensive line coach.
But it's one thing to buy a lottery ticket. It's another to rely on that lottery ticket to pay your mortgage. A significant injury to Dickerson would've suddenly thrust Green right back into the spotlight, forced to sink or swim on a team with championship-or-bust expectations. Suddenly, the runway to let Stoutland's tutelage work its magic would've evaporated, and an Eagles interior that was already in flux would have had to work around a glaring weak link.
Luckily, we appear to have avoided that outcome. But it's a reminder of just how fragile even an ecosystem as impressive as Philadelphia's really is. Every team has its weak points, and the Eagles need to hope that Dickerson is back as soon as possible.