Eagles could be preparing to start the season off without Alshon Jeffery

The Philadelphia Eagles are playing it safe this summer with the wide receiver position.

Aside from the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles are world champions, the offseason hasn’t exactly been flawless. Just like the 31 other teams, the Eagles lost a few guys to free agency, and a few key players are working on getting healthy. We expected certain guys to miss some significant time during the offseason, but a few additional names popped up on the injury reports as the offseason progressed.

It was a few months back when we learned that Eagles veteran wide receiver Alshon Jeffery played with a torn rotator cuff for the entire 2017 season. His secretive injury led to an eventual offseason surgery that would put a stop to any workouts that took place in the offseason.

Now, Jeffery is expected to miss the beginning of the Eagles training camp. Although we don’t have an official timeframe for his injury, we can only imagine that the 28-year-old receiver may be cutting it close when September rolls around. Realistically, the Eagles could start off the 2018 regular season without Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery. Hence why the Eagles are beginning to add some veteran weapons before training camp officially kicks off.

What would a Jeffery-less Eagles team look like?

In case you missed it, the Eagles filled one of their recently opened roster spots with veteran wide receiver Kamar Aiken. The former Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts receiver is entering into a new situation after four years of struggling to blow up. Although he had a decent Sophomore effort in Baltimore, the fact remains that Aiken is nothing more than a camp body for now.

Let’s also not forget the addition of Markus Wheaton a couple of months back. He was another questionable veteran addition when the Eagles signed him. But now the head-scratching moves are starting to show that the Eagles could be preparing to start the season off without their most reliable weapon in the passing game.

It’s not a fact that Jeffery will miss the season opener, but it is clear that the Eagles are playing it safe, which is excellent. We can expect to see Mack Hollins fill the void for Jeffery while playing along with Mike Wallace and Nelson Agholor. And if Hollins presents any signs of a Sophomore slump, then the Eagles could rely on their veteran talents like Wheaton or Aiken if things do not work out with Shelton Gibson or Bryce Treggs in the offseason.

Even without Jeffery, the Eagles are far from desperate. Their receiving corps looks like a significant upgrade in comparison to the 2016 squad. Plus, they have paired Dallas Goedert along with Zach Ertz to build up their already dominant tight end situation. Jeffery has high hopes of returning by week one, but the Eagles are already preparing to utilize the same next-man-up mentality that helped them win Super Bowl LII. Now, it’s time to find out who can step up.