Evaluating the Eagles WR Position on the 53-Man Roster
The Wide Receiver had to have been the weakest position on the Eagles offense in 2019.
After an off-season that saw an inevitable revamp at the spot, the Birds are projected to have one of the better and younger receiving cores in the NFL.
Although there are a few familiar faces in the mix, the Eagles have high hopes for their three rookie receivers to make in an impact early, and also expect improved production from their savvy veterans.
Alshon Jeffery
Despite being the longest-tenured receiver of the group, Jeffery may have the most uncertain future.
After trade rumors began to surface early in the offseason, the chatter slowed down after Free Agency was over. Now, it seems as though the Eagles are still shopping Jeffery, but it is hard for the organization to find a suitor since Jeffery has been banged up, and also demands a $9 million cap hit in 2020.
Although Jeffery has not been able to participate in any training camp practices after suffering a foot injury during Week 14 of last year, all reports indicate that Jeffery is in great shape and might be ready to get on the field earlier than Week 6.
If and when Jeffery returns to the lineup, he will likely thrive on the outside and be used as a possession type of receiver. Expect to see Carson Wentz connect with Jeffery a lot on third down, much as the two have done in the past.
During his time in midnight green, Jeffery has been one of the more reliable receivers (when healthy). In three seasons, Jeffery has racked up 165 receptions for 2,122 yards and 20 total TDs.
Due to Jeffery’s knowledge and experience in Doug Pederson’s offense, expect No. 17 to have an impact if he remains an Eagle.
DeSean Jackson
After single-handedly annihilating the Washington Football Team in the 2019 season opener, DeSean Jackson was sidelined for the remainder of the year after undergoing abdominal surgery.
Now, Jackson is back with a vengeance.
Despite only registering nine receptions in 2019, Jackson still managed to lead all Eagles receivers in Yards Per Catch (17.7). Jackson’s speed will once again separate him from the rest of the pass-catchers the Eagles will have at their disposal during the first week of action. His veteran experience and shiftiness will provide a plethora of opportunities for Wentz to go deep, early and often.
Word has it that Jackson is now 100%, and is still the fastest player on the field at all times…
Expect to see No. 10 catching a few more bombs against Washington in a bit of Week 1 deja-vu.
Greg Ward Jr.
The legend of Greg Ward Jr. lives to see another chapter in 2020.
After being cut and re-signed to the Eagles practice squad a total of four times, Ward was finally able to contribute on game days in 2019. Although Ward’s stats were not exactly eye-popping, Wentz dialed up No. 84 in a ton of key situations last year.
Ward will forever be remembered for his walk-off touchdown in Week 15’s win over Washington, but expect that TD to be a building block for the young receiver to improve off of.
Ward has received a ton of praise from reporters and coaches in the Eagles organization for his sure handedness and understanding of the offense. It is also important to note that the two receivers who have practiced the most with first-team offense include Greg Ward and the aforementioned DeSean Jackson.
Ward will improve his 28 catches from last year since he is now the projected starting receiver.
Jalen Reagor
Despite suffering a shoulder injury in practice, the hopes are still extremely high for the 21st overall pick out of TCU.
Reagor is an absolute speedster who was certainly impressed during training camp. Reagor’s elusiveness allows the Birds to use his skillset in a multitude of ways, including jet sweeps, handoffs, and of course deep passing concepts. Reagor even received work as the team’s main punt returner during practice as well.
Missing Reagor for the first two weeks of the season will be a bit of a bummer, especially since he has already seen a high level of praise from Wentz.
Whenever the two are on the field together, don’t be surprised if Reagor sees an increased number of targets compared to the other pass-catchers.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside
After an abysmal rookie campaign, there is nowhere for Arcega-Whiteside to go but up.
The rookie out of Stanford only caught 10 passes for 169 yards while appearing in all 16 games last season. Apparently, Arercga-Whiteside was dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury for the majority of last year that was kept quiet by members of the Eagles. Evidently, the man had issues using the bathroom by himself…
Nonetheless, expect improvement from the former second-round pick. Reports also indicated Arcega-Whiteside looked a lot better in training camp. With a few receivers to take the load off of him, Arcega-Whiteside should feel more comfortable in his new role, as he can complement the speedier pass catchers on the team.
If the Eagles do indeed move on from Jeffery, Arcega-Whiteside should step into the role of the big body receiver this offense needs.
Coming in at 6’2, 225 pounds, Arcega-Whiteside should execrate in red-zone situations, much like how he did in College.
John Hightower
The fifth-round pick from Boise State has turned some heads during training camp.
Bleeding Green Nation reports:
“Feels like John Hightower makes at least one highlight play in every practice. Can’t recall him dropping a pass this Summer.”
It is very encouraging that Hightower is making these type of contributions, especially considering Reagor will miss the first two games of the season. Hightower also hauled in a 98-yard TD from Jalen Hurts in practice, and even beat Darius Slay deep for another score as well.
Do not be surprised if Hightower is able to advance his way up the depth chart as the 2020 season progresses…
Quez Watkins
The 200th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft has made a name for himself so far.
Much like Hightower, Watkins has been impressing players and coaches on the practice field as well. Watkins has been able to consistently create separation against Eagles defenders due to his blazing speed. He has torched some notable names in practice such as Rasul Douglas and Darius Slay.
Watkins is a flat out blazer.
Watkins and Wentz have established quite a bit of chemistry over training camp. The two have connected for scores a few times during this preparation period.
Featured Image: Chris Szagola
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