Jordan Mailata Taking Light-Hearted Approach on Returning to Reserve Role

The Eagles OT has started for more than a month with injuries at both tackle spots, but the return of Jason Peters and Lane Johnson means he will be back on the bench

If Jordan Mailata is stewing over his removal from the starting lineup, he isn’t letting on.

The Eagles’ extra, extra, extra-large offensive tackle was his jovial self when he met with reporters during Monday’s videoconference, cracking a joke about Brandon Graham when asked about BG’s on-field persona.

“He calls everyone ‘Fat Boy,’” said Mailata. “The smack talk is like every day at practice, even when we’re stretching. We’ll be stretching and he’ll just walk by and go, ‘Yeaaahhh, Fat Boy, I’m coming today.’ And I’m like, ‘C’mon BG-man, give us a break. We’re just trying to stretch.’”

Mailata has had a nice run filling in for Jason Peters at left tackle for four games and Lane Johnson at right tackle for one, but that run is about to be canceled with Peters and Johnson expected to return after an extra week of rest at full – or mostly full-health - when the Eagles to North Jersey to play the Giants on Sunday at 1 p.m.

That led one questioner to ask about what position might be play next?

“I think I’m a running back this week,” said Mailata, jokingly.

“I honestly have no idea. Just like last week, I’m taking the same approach. Just kind of do whatever it takes and whatever the team needs me to do. Whether that’s coming off the bench, or being that extra tight end on those packages, so we’ll just see what happens. Team first.”

Nothing wrong with Mailata’s light-hearted approach at all even as he stares down an extended stay on the bench during a game. That doesn’t mean he won’t be ready when called upon, and his starting experience for the past five weeks will come in handy.

“Every time I can get on the field, it’s definitely going to make me a better player,” he said. “It’ll give me that one ounce of experience I need to weather situations in a game.”

Mailata won’t step onto the field as a running back or even a defensive end, a position he said he has thought about playing. Nor will he be a guard, saying that he hasn’t practiced on the interior of the line all season.

As for his one game at right tackle lasst week against the Cowboys, Mailata said that it took him just a bit to get comfortable. He gave up a sack on the first series to Dallas’ DeMarcus Lawrence, beaten to the inside with ease. After that, he settled in.

“It was just bad technique from my end,” he said about the Lawrence sack. “I didn’t think he was going to play like that, right off the second play of the game. That caught me off guard. That’s a learning mistake that I can better myself with, and like I said, I relied on my training. Every time I think of what they are going to do, it puts me in a bad situation.

“That’s how I got comfortable in the second half. Just relied on my training, and I thought how I was going to execute block and technique. That’s how I ended up getting comfy at the right time.”

Mailata certainly got comfortable during the bye week and will be ready whenever called upon.

“The bye week was awesome,” he said. “Going five weeks straight, not really having a day off, so the bye week really helped because relaxed, and easing my mind, man. It’s so nice to just wake up, and wake up knowing, ‘You know what, I just gotta get (COVID-19) tested today.’ Get tested and come back and chill. It gave us time to just relax and get our bodies right.”

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