Philadelphia Eagles rival watch: Was re-signing Jason Witten a mistake?

Are we past the days where Jason Witten was so often a thorn in the Philadelphia Eagles craw?

Perhaps the most satisfying feeling to the greatest fan base on Planet Earth, besides a Philadelphia Eagles win, is seeing a loss being handed to the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Washington Redskins.

During Week 6, every team in the NFC East minus the Washington Redskins pulled out the sharpie and drew another checkmark in the loss column.

After having their hearts ripped out by another pathetic performance, this one versus a game Minnesota Vikings team, Eagles fans had their spirits raised by a third-straight Cowboys loss. The Eagles and Cowboys meet in Week 7 with first place in the NFC East on the line.

Typically, throughout most of the last 16 years, Jason Witten has served in the role of ‘Eagles Killer’, and he’s played his part well. If you’re an Eagles fan, there are almost too many bad moments to remember.

There was the big hit when his helmet popped off, and he continued to run anyway. There was the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime. Last season, he decided to retire. The Cowboys swept ‘The Birds’ anyway. Then, Witten decided he wanted to play again, and Philly fans were back to discussing the ‘Eagles Killer’.

Philly fans expected to hear contract discussions about Dak Prescott. They expected to hear about the Cowboys offense, but how many of them expected to see Witten return from retirement and struggle in his return?

So far, in 2019, the future Hall of Famer has some nice numbers. He’s hauled in 22 receptions on 27 targets, but that only tells part of the tale. Sure, he’s reached the first-down marker 12 times on those 22 catches, but a closer look reveals he’s a shell of his former self.

More often than not, a struggling Dak Prescott who’s needed to make something happen has looked for Witten in crisis, and when he has, it hasn’t been the same Witten that most NFL fans are used to seeing. During Dallas’ three-game losing streak, he’s hauled in 12 passes for 136 yards. He hasn’t reached the end zone since Week 2, and on Sunday, there was whatever that was against the New York Jets on that failed two-point conversion.

Once upon a time, Witten made things happen. When you’re older and your team and quarterback are struggling, plays like this one are over before they have a chance. Sure, the key for a struggling receiver may be playing the Eagles secondary. Sure, Witten may have a shot of making the Eagles’ lives tough for one or two more games, but there’s one thing we can say and say definitively. The Eagles Killer looks like an old man who’s struggling in a long season.

We’ll have to wait and see what transpires on Sunday Night Football.