Alshon Jeffery may be struggling to get Eagles’ offense down
Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery seems to be a bit behind in learning his new offense.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery finally had his long-anticipated debut last Thursday. The Buffalo Bills came to town to face the Eagles in a preseason battle, one barely won by the guys from Philly. Since it’s just preseason, there was a lot more to focus on than the scoreboard. One of the big stories of the night was how Carson Wentz would gel with his new weapon, Alshon Jeffery.
The debut was slightly underwhelming, to say the least. The Eagles first-team offense, as a whole, was fairly sloppy. Multiple runs were for losses, and there were several bad throws made by Wentz. Two of those throws were specifically to Jeffery. He ended the night with two catches for 23 yards. He was targeted four times including once in the end zone. That one sailed over his head.
No time to panic…
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Eagles wide receivers coach Mike Groh suggested that Jeffery may be a little bit behind. As you know, for the majority of training camp he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Although the injury wasn’t major, the Eagles were being very cautious with the veteran. Since he was limited for a few weeks, Jeffery spent his time practicing on his own on another field.
Jeffery defended himself to the media stating that he isn’t behind. Although he may not want the public to know that he’s slightly off his game, it would have been fine if he was. Jeffery’s been transitioning into a totally different offense and hasn’t had much time to master it. With two weeks left to go in the preseason, he has plenty of time to get back on track and produce.
Taking the next step:
In this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Jeffery will get plenty of opportunities to produce in the Eagles offense. Week three of the preseason is known as the ‘dress rehearsal’ for the first-string units. He will likely see at least two-quarters of action and might get a series or two in the second half as well.
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While we would like to see Jeffery come out with a monster second game, the key thing we’ll all be looking for is consistency. As long as Jeffery is familiar with the offense, he will be able to form a consistent connection with Wentz on the field. That could also open up some opportunities for other receivers and the run game as well. If Jeffery can produce in this offense, then they sky is the limit for everyone else.