Don’t be surprised to see Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor go off this week against the Redskins.
In just a few days, the Philadelphia Eagles will open the 2019 NFL season by hosting the Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field. As we’re now midway through the week, the injury reports for both squads are beginning to get released.
For the Eagles, they have quite a few guys listed. As we know, some key names such as Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jalen Mills, and Jordan Mailata won’t be available. But a good chunk of their players who were dealing with injuries this offseason will have the opportunity to play.
On the other end, the Washington Redskins have quite the lineup of injuries as well. For starters, both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy won’t be available at quarterback — leaving Case Keenum as the starter. Also, their tight end Jordan Reed could be missing the game as well with a concussion.
One of the Redskins most significant losses though will be on the defensive side of the ball. Eagles fans might not know the name Fabian Moreau very well, but that does happen to be Washington’s nickel cornerback. Right now, Moreau is dealing with an injury, which caused Redskins’ coach Jay Gruden to label him as a ‘longshot’ to play this weekend.
That leaves Washington with an unfavorable option at the nickel position in seventh-round rookie, Jimmy Moreland.
Anticipating a big week for Nelson Agholor
As we know, the Eagles are likely to keep wide receiver Nelson Agholor solely in the slot this season. With Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson available on the outside, there’s really no reason to take Agholor away from the position where he thrives the most.
This Sunday, the Redskins will have to rely on Moreland to cover the veteran slot receiver. While we already anticipated a big season for Agholor since there are more weapons around for defenses to be distracted by, this week will plainly put that theory to the test.
According to Riggos Rag’s Jacob Camenker, Moreland had a strong preseason, which should have Washington feeling a bit more confident about his ability to step in for Moreau. However, having to stick a wideout like Nelson Agholor for a debut could inevitably cause a lot of unwanted problems for Washington. Expect the Eagles offense to exploit that matchup for sure.