LOCKED IN Till 2029: 49ers 4-time Pro-Bowl QB Brock Purdy has signed a four-year, $760.4 million contract extension that includes $40 million guarantee and also an ESPN deal of
The Eagles have signed several failed San Francisco 49ers third-round picks in recent years, and two are still hoping to break through and remain on Philadelphia’s offseason 90-man roster: wide receiver Danny Gray and tight end Cameron Latu.
The Niners turned the tables a little bit Friday by signing seventh-year offensive tackle Andre Dillard, a 2019 first-round pick of the Eagles.
Dillard (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) was the 22nd overall pick in 2019. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Eagles, starting just nine games and missing the entire 2020 season with a torn biceps.
Projected to go much higher in the draft, the Eagles moved up from No. 25 to No. 22 to select Dillard, now 29, when the Washington State product started to drift.
Philadelphia didn’t do a ton of homework on Dillard because the Eagles didn’t think the talented offensive lineman would reach into their orbit on draft night.
In hindsight, Philadelphia learned from the mistake and has taken a more disciplined approach to the draft in recent years, something that has generated success.
The Eagles penciled Dillard in as the starting left tackle during training camp before the 2020 season, something that the torn biceps derailed.
By 2021, it was a competition between Dillard and Jordan Mailata, with the latter winning the competition and eventually turning into one of the best left tackle in the NFL. By the 2024 season, Mailata was named a second-team All-Pro and and the top-grade player in the entire NFL by Pro Football Focus.
Dillard got a nice three-year, $29 million deal from Tennessee in free agency after his final season on his rookie deal with the Eagles and started a career-high 10 games with the Titans that season.
His play wasn’t effective enough for Tennessee to move forward and the Titans release Dillard after just one season.
Dillard spent last season as a backup in Green Bay where he saw action in 10 games.
The 49ers will be Dillard’s fourth team in four years. Overall, he’s started 19 of the 69 regular-season games he’s played
