DeSean Jackson needs to embrace a situational role for Eagles in 2020

He’s 33 and hasn’t played a full season since 2013. Would a situational role with the Eagles be best suited for DeSean Jackson in 2020?

You wouldn’t really expect them to give us a ton of information, but the only news that we appear to get from the Philadelphia Eagles in relation to DeSean Jackson and his recovery comes in the form of educated guesses from team insiders and Instagram posts from Jackson himself whenever he’s in a good mood.

For fans, as you might expect, the curiosity isn’t satisfied by any of that.

Their minds are still on other things like why he didn’t get that surgery sooner, how well he’s healed, how effective he’ll be when he gets back, and whether or not there’s any possibility that the Eagles might fathom the idea of moving on.

That last one got shot down very eloquently by John McMullen in a conversation with the ‘Sports Bash’ on 97.3 ESPN Radio in Philly recently, and yes, believe it or not, that was actually something people were saying. It was never brought up by any reliable sources or from anyone connected to the team, but it’s worth a mention because so many people said it.

Sure, “D-Jax” probably should have gotten that surgery earlier, and had he done so, he may have been available for the latter part of the season. No one discounts his value when he’s present or agrees that Philly should throw even more money in the trash. Think about Week 1 of 2020’s season, and keep in mind the fact that they may move on from Alshon Jeffery, consequences be damned. Still, even with all of that being said, there are serious things to consider here.

One, DeSean Jackson hasn’t played a full 16-game schedule since 2013, the last time he was in Philly. He’s 33 and turns 34 in December, but even though no one other than Jerry Rice can say they’ve been on the receiving end of more 50-yard pass plays, that won’t give Eagles fans any comfort if ’10’ isn’t available in 2020.

So, here’s a solution of some sort. Why not place him on a pitch count? Philly’s expected to take a wide receiver in the first round of 2020’s NFL Draft. They also have enough money to be major players in free agency. Look, Philly didn’t bring ’10’ back to put up major regular-season numbers. They brought him here to stretch defenses occasionally and help this team hoist another Lombardi Trophy. This team needs Jackson on the field in the postseason.

With that being said, maybe a reduced role in the offense is the answer. There’s just one problem that comes up immediately when those words are uttered. Is that a role Jackson would be comfortable with or willing to accept? Everyone’s just tossing ideas around at this point, but this team has been ravaged by injuries over the course of the past three seasons, and the clock is ticking on both the championship window and Jackson’s career.