Eagles should search for a temporary deep threat with DeSean Jackson out

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson hasn’t been healthy since week one. And at this point, there’s no return in sight.

Is it time to panic about Philadelphia Eagles veteran wide receiver, DeSean Jackson? Not yet, but we are getting there. As we know, Jackson has been dealing with an abdominal strain, which might’ve required surgery, according to one doctor, who suggested it.

However, Jackson didn’t want to risk missing at least six weeks, which was the assumed timetable had he gotten the procedure done. At this point, though, Jackson’s timeline could be stretching that far anyway, according to some recent reports.

So far, Jackson has missed the entirety of three games. According to NBC Sports Philly’s John Clark, “It’s more likely that Jackson returns for the Dallas Cowboys game or later, rather than this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.”

If Jackson returns for Dallas, that would mean he missed a total of five weeks. If he returns later, then Jackson would pretty much cover the initial timetable that was set if he would’ve undergone surgery. At this point, though, it’s too late. The Eagles will have to deal with the loss — but they may need to look for temporary help if Jackson is truly going to miss more than three more games at this point in the year.

Could help be on the way?

It comes as no secret that the Eagles lack a vertical threat with Jackson on the sidelines. Last year, we found out how tough it is for the Eagles to run their offense without a reliable speedster in the presence of the defense. At times, it felt like Nelson Agholor could fill that void, but we ultimately found out he simply belongs in the slot.

Now, the Eagles aren’t going to find a DeSean Jackson replacement on the free agency market, per se. — but they should consider looking for a temporary replacement with former Eagles such as Mike Wallace or the recently retired, Torrey Smith.

Those two guys wouldn’t match the same value as Jackson, but they may offer a lot more value as a deep threat than Agholor, Mack Hollins, or JJ Arcega-Whiteside would. With the tough stretch of the season approaching, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Eagles to start working some guys out and potentially signing someone to fill the void for at least a few weeks. The Eagles could use the speed in order to run their offense the way they would like to.