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

Let’s look at some of J.J.’s resume and discuss reasonable expectations for him during 2020’s version of Philadelphia Eagles training camp?

To his credit, none of his ten catches were shabby. One of them was a 29-yard reception against the New England Patriots. With the Eagles backed up at their own endzone, Carson Wentz worked some magic in the scramble drill and JJAW came back nicely to the ball. In Week 13, the Eagles faced a third and goal versus the Miami Dolphins, and Wentz found Arcega-Whiteside in the scramble drill once again, this time for a touchdown.

One week later, the Eagles were trying to rally versus the New York Giants and J.J. made a phenomenal over-the-shoulder catch on a crucial third and four play. Then, versus the Dallas Cowboys, J.J. made a huge catch on the first play of the game by running a nice 15-yard dig and getting some extra yards for a 27-yard completion. Later that drive, Wentz found him in scramble drill once more for a 12-yard catch to complete a third and ten conversion. All of that’s great, but at the end of the day, ten catches are ten catches, and that’s unacceptable for a second-round selection.

It’s hard to tell how much we’ll see of Arcega-Whiteside in the preseason. It’s most likely that we’ll see him early on in the games and that he’ll be removed from the lineup after a few drives. The “Birds” will want to see how he performs compared to his competition on the depth chart like Greg Ward Jr., John Hightower, and Quez Watkins. At the same time, they’ll want to keep him healthy and ready to go for the regular season since he’s one of the returning players who know already know the offensive scheme and the playbook.

Whether the fans like hearing this or not, he’s going to get a spot on the roster. Vice president and general manager Howie Roseman and the coaching staff aren’t going to give up on a guy they drafted in the second round just one year prior. The Eagles organization is going to give him a chance to bounce back and prove to the front office that they were right for selecting him over the likes of Metcalf, Diontae Johnson, and Darius Slayton. We’ll have to wait and see if Arcega-Whiteside can capitalize on the opportunity.