Philadelphia Eagles: Ranking 13 sophomores on their roster

Holyfield, “JJAW” and Dillard all need to pay dividends for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.

The Eagles are going to rely on their youth at running back in 2020 and Elijah Holyfield is likely to get the last spot on the depth chart. While Adrian Killins is very intriguing, he’ll need to continue to beef up in the weight room. Plus, the Eagles are in need of a power back like Holyfield for short-yardage situations.

Michael Warren had an impressive collegiate career at Cincinnati and would be able to fill the power back role, but the loss of minicamp hurt his chances.

Holyfield sits ahead of some of the other sophomores on this list because of the faith the front office has shown in him this offseason by not bringing in any other running backs and because of the potential he has. At the same time, he spent most of 2019 on the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad and didn’t sign with Philly until December 31st. He’ll need to show what he can offer in 2020 before he moves up on this list.

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is not fourth because he played well. He just played more snaps than the other guys did since he was a second-round pick and since all three of the wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart got hurt.

After showing plenty of potential in the preseason, things went downhill after the drop against the Detroit Lions. In his defense, Carson Walch and the offensive coaches tried to play him at all three receivers spots and his ten catches came in pretty big moments.

It’s hard to ignore the fact that the practice squad guys outperformed him though, and it worries fans that the front office massively misjudged his talent during the draft process. Taking three receivers in the 2020 Draft is a tell-tale sign of how they felt about Arcega-Whiteside. ‘JJAW’ will get a chance to bounce back this year since he’s one of the only ‘X’, or primary, receivers on the roster. Alshon Jeffery likely won’t be healthy to start the year and Robert Davis might not make the team so fans will see if J.J. makes any improvements or if he slides further down this list.

There was both good and bad from Andre Dillard’s rookie season. He struggled when thrust into action in the back-to-back blowouts versus the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, but he was much more sound in the weeks following against the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. With Jason Peters back in town, there’s a chance that, if Dillard plays poorly, Peters could move back to left tackle and Matt Pryor could get the start at right guard.

Hopefully, Dillard and Peters both play well enough that the team doesn’t have to consider that, but it’s a real possibility. Dillard has the tools to be a solid left tackle and fans will see the result of what he learned under Peters last year. If Peters has to replace him, this first-round pick isn’t going to add to general manager Howie Roseman’s draft woes.