JJ Arcega-Whiteside: Weighing pros, cons prior to Philadelphia Eagles camp

Can J.J. Arcega-Whiteside bounce back for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020?

Just think back one year to 2019, Philadelphia Eagles fans were excited about this wide receiver corps. Most thought J.J. Arcega-Whiteside would benefit greatly from learning under Alshon Jeffery and then make strides towards becoming a future “X” or primary receiver. There isn’t a “BIrds” fan that doesn’t know what has transpired since then. “JJAW” was one of the worst-performing receivers on the team. The practice squad receivers were better.

Philly passed on D.K. Metcalf, who performed better in the Philly and the Seattle Seahawks Wild Card Game versus the Eagles secondary than “JJAW” had performed the entire season. 2019’s campaign was an ugly one for the second-round pick who hauled in just ten catches.

The concerns about his route running were a bit overblown but there’s still good reason to make that argument. The mistakes overshadowed any positives that came from Arcega-Whiteside’s rookie season. There was the dropped pass on a potential game-winning touchdown against the Detroit Lions. Then, there was the time he didn’t run his route correctly and bumped into Dallas Goedert, which forced Philly’s tight end to make a one-handed catch.

Arcega-Whiteside showed a lack of football IQ in general, especially when it comes to setting up corners during his release. That’s some of what JJ needs to overcome in 2020. There is some good news if you’re an Eagles fan.