Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Why not elevate Marken Michel to active roster?
On a Thursday prior to the Philadelphia Eagles’ next game, the ‘Birds’ added Marken Michel to the practice squad, but should he be active?
You could make the argument that the two best receivers the Philadelphia Eagles had during their preseason were Greg Ward and Marken Michel, yet both were left off of the final 53-man roster. Now, that shouldn’t really be surprising.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside showed some promise, Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson were the starters, and there was really no reason to believe, at that point, that Nelson Agholor would regress and become 2016’s version of Nelson Agholor again.
No one really wanted Mack Hollins, but even his addition wasn’t that strange. He had the experience. Philly had invested a lot of time in him, and he apparently added some sort of value on special teams. In hindsight, none of it worked, but there was no way in knowing things would be as bad as they are.
There is, however, no excuse for allowing the apathy from wide receivers coach Carson Walch and his group to continue for so long. Once we all knew something was wrong with Jeffery, Agholor was pathetic, Jackson was a liability, and Arcega-Whiteside hadn’t progressed to a satisfactory level, it was time to make moves. Unfortunately, Philly refused to make them. Whether that was out of stubbornness or hope things would improve is up for debate, but we could all see something wasn’t working.
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That led everyone to begin thinking about Greg Ward, who was on the practice squad, and Marken Michel, who wasn’t even in the locker room. Why not give the guys who played well in the preseason a shot? Well, Ward is now active, and though there’s been no explosion, things do seem to be a little better than they were. Mack Hollins was finally released. Then, news broke that he found a home with the Miami Dolphins.
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Hollins’ spot on the active roster was filled by guard Sua Opeta, leaving a spot open on the practice squad, a spot that’s now been filled by Michel, but here’s a theory.
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The two most explosive plays that were made by the Eagles wide receiver corps during the preseason were made by Ward and Michel. Isn’t it time to see what they can do under pressure in real games? Ward’s been given his shot. Maybe Michel should get one too. can’t we argue that, at this point, he adds more value than Sue Opeta? Philly could always deactivate Agholor for the rest of the season. No one would complain if they did.