Philadelphia Eagles veteran wide receiver Alshon Jeffery finally returns to practice this week.
Watching from the sidelines must be tough for a defending Super Bowl champion. Especially if you are Alshon Jeffery who, let’s not forget, ditched getting season-ending surgery to fight through a torn rotator cuff in 2017. As tough as he is, the 28-year-old receiver had no choice but to rest up after repairing his shoulder over the offseason.
The last time Jeffery stepped foot on the field was back in February when he caught three passes for 73-yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl LII. After pushing through the shoulder pain, Jeffery wasted no time heading into surgery just weeks after the Super Bowl celebrations in Philly. Although he anticipated a potential return to start the season, it looks like Jeffery’s shoulder just isn’t quite ready yet.
Jeffery is one of two offensive starters who missed the season-opener last week. Along with quarterback Carson Wentz, Jeffery watched the Eagles defeat the Atlanta Falcons 18-12. As the team gets prepared to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, Jeffery already knows he will spend another gameday watching from the side. Fortunately, though, he has returned to the practice field, inching one step closer to his 2018 regular season debut.
The Jeffery-Wentz connection is making a comeback:
Sign of things to come: Carson Wentz to Alshon Jeffery, who is back participating in individial drills. pic.twitter.com/LX6FDybp81
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) September 12, 2018
Wentz has been heavily involved with offensive drills all offseason long, but Jeffery couldn’t do much for the most part. Seeing the Jeffery and Wentz connection back in action on Wednesday afternoon at the Nova Care Complex was quite satisfying. Rumor has it that Carson Wentz could be back by next week as he will be cleared for contact on Friday.
As for Jeffery, it could take a little while longer before he returns to the playing field on Sunday’s. As of right now, there is no exact time frame, but we can assume that Jeffery could return before week six as he avoided the ‘PUP’ list to start the season. So, it’s not exactly an ideal situation on offense, but the Eagles will have to make it work without Jeffery for the time being. Hopefully, he can return as early as next week. Nothing is guaranteed though at the moment.