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Philadelphia Eagles: Why isn’t JJ Arcega-Whiteside playing?

By Justin Grasso

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 22: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against Bennett Jackson #33 and Anthony Averett #34 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter of the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 22: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs with the ball against Bennett Jackson #33 and Anthony Averett #34 of the Baltimore Ravens in the third quarter of the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Eagles rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside hasn’t seen the field in a while. What’s holding him back exactly?

The last time we really saw Philadelphia Eagles’ second-round rookie JJ Arcega-Whiteside take the field was during the Week 3 loss against the Detroit Lions. As we know, that’s the game where Arcega-Whiteside had his infamous last-minute drop on fourth and long, which would’ve set the Eagles up on the one-yard line — or even better — put them in the end zone right there.

That didn’t happen, though. And since Arcega-Whiteside’s mishap, he hasn’t really seen the field. Here we are, six weeks into the season, and the highly-drafted rookie out of Stanford has collected a whopping two catches for 14 yards.

A rookie not being able to see the field because the veteran starters are at work is one thing. But for Arcega-Whiteside to not be able to beat out Mack Hollins for the other reps is whole other issue, that has a lot of people scratching their heads. Is that actually the case, though? Is Arcega-Whiteside truly behind Mack Hollins based off of talent? Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson’s latest statement regarding the rookie makes it seem like that’s not a correct assumption.

Why Arcega-Whiteside cannot get on the field:

According to Doug Pederson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside has a particular position on the depth chart. Instead of being called the third or fourth wide receiver,  (excluding DeSean Jackson), Arcega-Whiteside is strictly Alshon Jeffery’s backup, and not Jackson’s.

NJ Advance Media’s Zack Rosenblatt reported on Wednesday that Pederson’s explanation was quite simple; Unless Alshon Jeffery goes down with an injury, then Arcega-Whiteside is not going to see the field. That makes Mack Hollins DeSean Jackson’s backup. Hence the reason why the third-year wideout has seen so much more time than the rookie.

Is that the proper way to go about it? Probably not. That’s why we believe Doug Pederson could just be blowing smoke here to protect Howie Roseman’s second-round pick. While it is evident that Arcega-Whiteside was drafted to replace Alshon Jeffery eventually, it’s highly doubtful the Eagles assumed they were going to hold this guy back on the bench for the next two years as long as Jeffery remains healthy.

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Clearly, Arcega-Whiteside wasn’t all that impressive during his two games on film, and that’s why he can’t get on the field. At a certain point, though, the Eagles will have to mix him in a bit though if Jackson remains out. Whiteside has shown flashes in preseason and camp — so he couldn’t possibly be viewed as a bust right now. The rookie should earn some minimal snaps to be able to have the opportunity to try and bounce back this year.

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