Estimating Alshon Jeffery’s Impact in 2020
Help at the Wide Receiver position was definitely on all Eagles fans wish lists this offseason.
Howie Roseman was able to revamp the position after acquiring a total of four newcomers via trade and the NFL Draft. Injuries quickly plagued the Eagles receiving room last year, leaving practice squad players to carry the load.
Seeing that the position group has had a complete makeover, a lot of the new receivers already have their roles etched on this Eagles offense.
What does this mean for Alshon Jeffery?
Although Alshon Jeffery is now the longest-tenured pass-catcher on the team, do not expect the former Pro-Bowler to have an immediate impact on the offense.
Jeffery is starting the year off on the Reserve/PUP list, meaning he will likely be sidelined for the first six weeks of the season due to a Lisfranc injury that he suffered Week 15 of the 2019 season. After we learned that Jeffery played through his entire 2017 season with a torn rotator cuff, it seems as though the vet has had a series of nagging injuries during his time in Philly.
Despite being in and out of the line-up in 2019, Jeffery still hauled in four receiving TD’s which ranked first on the Eagles amongst their respective wide-receivers (obviously excluding the TE’s).
If and when Jeffery is able to return to action, it is safe to assume he will be utilized as a possession type of receiver since the Eagles suddenly have a plethora of speed in their receiver line-up.
It was encouraging to see AJ out there on the practice field during the first week of camp, even though he was just catching passes on the sideline from receivers coach Andrew Moorehead.
Don’t expect Jeffery to be a burner but do anticipate for him to be the main target on third down, as well as the Red-Zone.
Apparently, Alshon has quite the chip on his shoulder…
After a whole year of being caught up in a presumed “locker room controversy” as well as injuries, Jeffery has his sights on a bounce-back year in Philadelphia.
“Locked in, focused“, and “engaging” were words used to describe Jeffery so far at Eagles camp.
The full quote will be listed in the tweet below.
Assuming Alshon is able to stay healthy, here are his projected stats in 2020:
- 47 Receptions
- 517 Yards
- 5 Touchdowns
Keep in mind the Eagles will likely not activate Jeffery until Week 6 at the earliest due to his injury.
Featured Image: Christopher Hanewinckel
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Categorized:Eagles