Eagles’ Carson Wentz, DeSean Jackson built a strong chemistry this offseason

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and wide receiver DeSean Jackson seem ready to take over the NFL in 2019.

A few months ago, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was in search of a dynamic playmaker for the offense. After seeing the struggles the 2018 Eagles offense went through, the front office wizard needed to figure out a way to revive the Super Bowl-winning offense from 2017. Golden Tate was his band-aid attempt halfway through the year, but that proved to be an underwhelming move.

Roseman then got on the phone with the Pittsburgh Steelers to try and acquire Antonio Brown. Unfortunately, the Steelers were looking for too much for a guy with a large contract, and older age. So the Eagles tried to go with somebody a bit cheaper in terms of contract and trade price. Therefore, Roseman made a call to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to bring back a familiar face in DeSean Jackson — a move that happens to be long overdue.

A couple of years ago, Jackson entered the free agency market after his stint with the Washington Redskins. As the veteran wideout already had eyes for the Doug Pederson/Carson Wentz-led Eagles, he was ready and willing to come home for the right price. Unfortunately, Roseman wasn’t ready to show Jackson the money. Instead, he worked on getting Alshon Jeffery in Philly for a year.

In the end, the idea to not sign Jackson worked out perfectly. Not only did they acquire Jeffery in 2017, but they end up with Jackson in 2019 anyway to pair him along with Jeffery. Now, the Eagles franchise quarterback has a plethora of weapons heading into year four. And after receiving a ton of criticism for not targeting his wideouts enough in 2018, Wentz is working on changing that narrative as he builds a bond like no other with Jackson.

The connection you’ve been waiting for

DeSean Jackson has played with a handful of quarterbacks since departing from the Eagles. Kirk Cousins, Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, etc. While Jackson had his highs before, the lows seemed to overshadow everything ever since he was released by the Eagles back in 2014. Many made the point that Jackson was never able to build stable chemistry with a decent quarterback since playing with the likings of Donovan McNabb, Mike Vick, and Nick Foles.

Now, Jackson has the opportunity to play with a potential MVP passer in Carson Wentz, and he’s done everything to make it all work out so far. When voluntary OTAs were in session, Jackson was present. Although seasoned veterans aren’t expected to show up (i.e. Alshon Jeffery) Jackson made it a priority to get some work in with Wentz so by the time training camp rolls around; they won’t miss a step in progression working towards the regular season.

Jackson’s plan has worked to perfection so far. Although he’s recognized for being a deep threat, Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson isn’t going to limit his role to just that. As Wentz and Jackson continuously connect on many different routes, it’s beginning to look like the Eagles are working to make Jackson’s connection with Wentz a lethal one in every way — not just on deep balls.