I had written an article before the season where it had included the possibilities of Jordan Mailata finally getting the chance to play due to Andre Dillard being sidelined for the season. The project was sped up after Jason Peters went down with a toe injury at the end of the Bengals game. He had played a couple of snaps in the season opener against Washington but was obviously not prepared for the pressures of an NFL game.
His technique still needs some practicing but he looked good, considering this is a new sport for him. Lucky for Mailata, a few of the 49ers key defensive linemen were out, so he caught a little bit of a break this time with a weaker opponent. Besides a costly false start penalty on 3rd-and-1, he was able to hold his own.
Former offensive lineman Brian Baldinger claimed that Mailata had a very impressive game.
Another former offensive lineman, Ross Tucker, praised his game as well.
Former Eagles left tackle Tra Thomas also saw some great plays from Mailata's tape.
It has been a long wait for Mailata, who had never played a down of football before the Eagles drafted him in the 2018 draft. He was once viewed as a replacement for Peters, but that changed once they had drafted Andre Dillard.
Moving forward the starting left tackle position (in 2020) seems to be Mailata’s job to lose. Jason Peters' toe injury is not a season-ender, but if Mailata ends up being a great fit the veteran left tackle may not return as the starter (maybe he could return to right guard). But again, it all depends on how well Mailata will play during these next couple of games, especially against tough teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
