Pushing Forward

Seven years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles swung for upside late in the draft, nabbing little-known professional rugby player Jordan Mailata, as the team was enticed with the Australian’s boundless athleticism and measurables.

Fortunately for Mailata, who’d never taken a snap of American football prior to arriving in Philadelphia in 2018, the 21-year-old joined a team that prioritized player development. The Eagles also happened to employ the world’s best offensive line whisperer in Jeff Stoutland.

Mailata’s progression and subsequent rise to becoming the starting left tackle for the Eagles is unprecedented and nothing short of remarkable, but underscores the importance of coaching, mentorship and work ethic.

Now 28 years old, the 2024 All-Pro tackle has become the prime example of leaving no stone unturned and scanning the world to find tantalizing talent in need of proper coaching and an opportunity. The 6-foot-8, 365-pound blindside protector has not only evolved into one of the best players at his position, but also a locker room pillar and prominent team leader. He has never shied away from competition or hard work and has become a go-to spokesperson for all team matters.

Fresh-faced draftees, such as tackles Myles Hinton and Cameron Williams as well as center Drew Kendall, are hardly entering the fold with the same outside curiosity and intrigue, having played college football at the highest level. But when asked Tuesday about the challenges that accompany an experimental tackle joining the pro ranks and putting them on Mailata’s path, the eighth-year tackle offered interesting perspective.

GETTY IMAGES: Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro tackle Jordan Mailata’s mentality has helped lead the team to success.

“I can’t speak on that, for other people,” Mailata said. “For me, you have to meet Coach Stout halfway. That’s how you become successful. If you have someone extending a hand or giving you an olive branch, you have to be able and willing to be able to meet him halfway. That’s half the job. If you just – as cliché as it is – if you just do what coach is telling you to do, you’d be great. It took me a long time to realize that, to just listen to coaching, take the coaching, and apply it.

“To come in that room, it’s not about – and I love our rookies, this is a great rookie class, especially in that o-line room. They work hard. I told Myles, I told Cameron, and I told Drew, I said, ‘I don’t care if you come for my job. If you’re better than me, you’re going to be better than me, but I’m going to make it damn hard for you to reset, but I’m going to bring you along. I’m not going to keep you down. It’s not how it runs here, it’s not how we do it. I’m going to bring you along, because you’re going to make me better.’”

The willingness to bring young players along, even vouching for them if they outperform him, reaffirms Mailata’s genuineness, leadership and team-first mindset. His comments, especially when considering how other positions — namely quarterback — approach the prospects of nurturing younger talent entering the fray, were a welcomed departure from the closed-off, guarded nature that perhaps happens elsewhere. But in Philadelphia, where a strong culture has been paramount, being a resource and taking players under the wing has become commonplace.

“It’s the culture I was brought into,” he said. “Why would I shut the door? When I came here, JP (Jason Peters), Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Big V (Halapoulivaati Vaitai), Isaac Seumalo, Stefen Wisniewski. Man, go down the list. Chance Warmack. Those guys just welcomed me in and they brought me along. I feel like I owe it to these rookies to bring them along. And I just told them if you’re better than me, I’ll vouch for you. But I’m going to make it damn hard. It ain’t easy, but good luck.”

Ruling in Their Favor

Shortly after 11:30 on Wednesday morning, the NFL finally reached a verdict regarding the Eagles’ “tush push” play after originally tabling it at the NFL Owners Meetings in April. While most reports indicated the play was destined for removal, citing player safety and pace of play as primary concerns, no argument was ultimately strong enough for banishment. The play, a physically imposing and technical short-yardage play and near-automatic for the Eagles, lives on and will remain available for the Eagles and every NFL team for the foreseeable future.

Eagles’ owner Jeffrey Lurie, along with former long-time center Jason Kelce, delivered speeches at an NFL owners meeting in Minnesota in hopes of pouring cold water on the proposal initiated by the Green Bay Packers. For the proposal to pass, 24 votes were required, though only 22 ruled in favor of eliminating the play. The nine other teams siding with the Eagles? The Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

Primetime Ready

On Wednesday, it was announced that the Eagles — and the rest of the NFC East — will be featured on the in-season edition of “Hard Knocks.” The season series, which will air weekly on HBO Max, will provide exclusive access, shedding light on the day-to-day schedules that accompany an NFL season. Last season, the NFL devoted its in-season series to the AFC North, where the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinatti Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns took center stage.

The Eagles have largely avoided having their behind-the-scenes dealings chronicled and broadcasted nationally, but if there were ever a team equipped to navigate a potential distraction, it would be a team like the Eagles, who have the leadership and infrastructure in place to fixate on the task at hand and operate in a business-as-usual manner. The same mentality may not apply team like the Cowboys — or a young upstart team like the Commanders — where the potential to succumb to the frenzy seems far more likely.

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.