Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t write off J.J. Arcega-Whiteside just yet
One Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver may exit the doghouse and soon.
When Philadelphia Eagles fans hear the name J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, more often than not, it’s met with more jeers than cheers. It’s just hard to shake his dropped pass at the end of last year’s loss to the Detroit Lions and the fact that he just isn’t D.K. Metcalf.
The Eagles spent a second-round pick on Arcega-Whiteside a year ago, and his production hasn’t justified that selection. Fans and media alike have been ready to write him off as another draft-day bust.
Philadelphia Eagles fans will be happy to find that there may be hope after all.
In fairness to Arcega-Whiteside, his drop pales in comparison to those we’ve seen from Nelson Agholor, particularly the one we saw versus the Atlanta Falcons. That one was thrown perfectly. While both receptions would have won their respective games, Arcega-Whiteside’s would have been a more difficult catch. He still should have caught it, but that’s something worth mentioning.
As far as the Eagles passing on Metcalf in favor of Arcega-Whiteside goes, there were other teams that did the same thing. Every other team passed on Metcalf at least once. It certainly doesn’t help the argument when thinking of how Metcalf carved the Eagles up in two meetings as a rookie. The jury is still out on whether Philly should have taken him or not, but it’s easy to justify why the fans’ are frustrated.
light. Related Story. 3 Reasons JJAW deserves a pass from Eagles fans
Since those unsung and unheralded heroes like Boston Scott, Greg Ward, and Josh Perkins got all the shine at the end of last season (you also have to credit Robert Davis and Deontay Burnett), it’s easy to forget that Arcega-Whiteside was on the field as well, but while his stats weren’t overwhelming, he was able to step up from time to time, especially when the team offense was decimated with injuries. That isn’t an easy task for a rookie.
light. Related Story. Eagles legend believes he has a cure for JJAW
Heading into his second NFL season, ‘JJAW’ says he wasn’t himself in 2019, and that ‘Birds’ fans will see a much different player in year two. He seems to be backing these claims up as he’s been one of the bright spots in training camp thus far.
The hope is this carries over into the season. If you’ll remember, he also looked good during camp in 2019, but this young man possesses a different skill set than the rest of the track team the Eagles assembled at receiver this offseason.
Related Story. JJ Arcega-Whiteside: Weighing the pros and cons. light
The field should be wide open for both him and the tight ends to roam while Desean Jackson, Jalen Reagor, and the like take the top off defenses each week. Greg Ward should enjoy some of the same benefits, but Arcega-Whiteside also has a physical frame that Ward doesn’t possess.
light. Trending. 3 Realistic expectations for JJ Arcega-Whiteside
While training camp and an NFL regular-season are completely different beasts, fans can cool their jets for the time being. Don’t write J.J. Arcega-Whiteside off as a bust just yet. Let’s be fair. Brandon Graham was a slow starter too. and look where we are in the Earl Thomas versus Brandon Graham debate. Again. Arcega-Whiteside isn’t a lost cause, yet.