When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Landon Dickerson, the organization believed they had gotten a dominant and tough individual to help reset their offensive line.
What they didn't fully realize back then is how tough and strong the Alabama prospect truly is. And their run to a Super Bowl LIX only showed exactly what we're talking about.
Dickerson suffered a knee injury during the team's 55-23 NFC Title game win over the Washington Commanders. He sustained the injury while playing center and replacing Cam Jurgens, who was out for the first half with a back injury.
While most other players may not have been able to play one series, let alone an entire first half, Dickerson wasn't one of those players. And it meant playing through his injury during their Super Bowl victory on Sunday.
"It feels like (expletive) if I'm being honest," Dickerson said. "You have to get over that so you don't think about it. It's not meant to feel good, but when you get to the end like this it's worth it.
"I've had a lot of injuries, I've had a lot of surgeries but I love football too much to let one little injury keep you from doing something."
Dickerson has always shown his ability to be a warrior. He suffered a torn ACL during his final season in college and still managed to play in the National Championship game for a snap as well.
Years later, he was a key part in the team's Super Bowl title on Sunday, and continued to impress his teammates along the way.
"Just knowing Landon the past couple years I'm not surprised by that," left tackle Jordan Mailata said. "Just knowing his work ethic, knowing his want to and will to get there and be able to play. It means the world to me.
"Shows me that it doesn't matter what he's going through, he's gonna be there for me."
Dickerson is expected to get offseason surgery for his knee so it may be unclear whether he'll be ready to go for the start of the 2025 season.
Chances are, though, that his toughness will have him ready to play right away regardless.
