Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster projection, camp edition
By Hunter Doyle
Wide Receivers (6). . player. 54. . .
DeSean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower, Quez Watkins are the Philadelphia Eagles’ six wide receivers.
To start, Alshon Jeffery is expected to start the year on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. DeSean Jackson will start once again this year. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and we’ll see more of the chemistry he and Wentz built last offseason.
Jalen Reagor appears to be the guy who can break the Eagles’ recent history with drafting underwhelming wide receivers. He certainly has the tools too with his speed and vertical. While he was picked earlier than expected, it feels like Reagor can fit perfectly into this offense. He was expected to train at the ‘Z’ wide receiver position since he has the speed but is now practicing with the first team at all three receiver spots. The Eagles have plenty of options with him. They can run him in motion, run him on routes across the middle, and send him deep.
Greg Ward will be the starter in the slot. He improved as the year went on with his ability to read a defense. He knows whether he needs to find a hole in zone coverage or beat his man on a slant. J.J. Acrega-Whiteside will be back as well as difficult as that is to cope with for most fans. General manager and vice president Howie Roseman is not going to give up on his second-round pick just one year later. He’s also the only true ‘X’ receiver on the roster since he can be physical and use his body control to make tough catches.
The last two spots have to go to the new rookies. John Hightower’s size and speed give him an advantage over the other guys competing with him. If there are any injuries, Hightower can be a decoy at the least and take one or two guys with him on a deep route every play. Quez Watkins also has blazing speed and has looked sharp in camp thus far. Robert Davis might get a chance just due to the sheer lack of ‘X’ receivers on the team. Deontay Burnett isn’t a bad slot receiver to keep on the practice squad and Manasseh Bailey also has potential.