Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor brings needed speed to offense

The Philadelphia Eagles selection of Jalen Reagor was met with mixed reactions, but there is a method to this perceived madness.

Heading into the draft, the Philadelphia Eagles had a glaring need at wide receiver after seeing all of the injuries at the position on display throughout the 2019 season.

Rumors were rampant leading up to Thursday that the Eagles were high on the idea of trading up to draft Oklahoma‘s CeeDee Lamb, which naturally whipped Philadelphia fans into a frenzy.

When Lamb fell all the way to No. 17 in the first round after two other receivers were previously taken, Eagles fans were begging for Howie Roseman to pull the trigger.

The problem was, of course, that pick No. 17 actually belonged to the Dallas Cowboys.

In a move that came as somewhat of a surprise, Jerry Jones snatched up Lamb with the selection instead of focusing on other areas, and from that point on it didn’t matter what the Eagles did since that turn of events felt like a worst-case scenario.

But as crushing as this was to watch play out at the team, the Eagles would eventually select TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor over LSU‘s Justin Jefferson at No. 21.

Since plenty of mock experts believed that Jefferson was a perfect fit for Philadelphia, the decision by the Eagles to go with Reagor instead only stirred the pot even more, especially when you consider the team arguably could have traded back and still landed the TCU star.

With that being said, as upset as some Eagles fans are at the moment over the selection of Reagor, this was the right choice, whether they realize at the moment or not.

Lamb and Jefferson may be more complete receivers, but Reagor gives the Eagles’ offense an element it was sorely lacking in 2019, which is speed at the position.

Once DeSean Jackson went down last season, Philadelphia’s offense became one of the slowest in the NFL.

Thanks to the addition of Reagor essentially replacing Nelson Agholor, it gives the Eagles a younger, bigger, and more athletic version of Jackson to pair with the veteran where the rookie can learn. Reagor can also help in the return game as well.

With these two speedsters along with Alshon Jeffery on the outside, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside a year in, and last year’s breakout star Greg Ward still in the fold, it will also allow for the offense to open up over the middle for two of Carson Wentz’s favorite targets in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.

The two tight ends were easily the most productive past catchers a year ago for Philadelphia, and with this newfound speed thanks to the addition of Reagor, it will allow Ertz and Goedert to flourish over the middle with more space to work with.

Wentz is also a far more superior quarterback than anyone Reagor was previously working with while at TCU.

Speaking of Wentz, it was also great to see the quarterback’s excitement over the addition of Reagor Thursday night.

The Eagles drafting Reagor may not have been the scenario fans wanted or expected, but the fact of the matter is Reagor will give Philadelphia the speed needed for Wentz to utilize before addressing other areas during the remainder of the draft.