Philadelphia Eagles: 4 theories that support promoting Deontay Burnett

4. Deontay Burnett has plenty of upside for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Burnett is still just 22-years-old and might have a bright future in this league. So far, he hasn’t gotten a shot as day three draftee. Some of the biggest criticisms have been about his size and his ability to fight through tight coverage from bigger cornerbacks. He’s been working to improve, and the results were evident all Summer.

Everyone’s been impressed with Burnett. He’s also added mass to what was once a 170-pound frame during his collegiate days as he’s now 186 pounds. Burnett could provide a change of pace as the Eagles’ backup slot receiver as his route running has gotten cleaner and he seems to be healed from a hamstring issue he had during his Pro Day. He certainly looked a lot faster in 2019.

The Eagles could have him share some snaps with Greg Ward in the slot to catch defenses off guard. He’s faster than Ward. The worst that could happen would be that he doesn’t perform as well as we’d hope, but what else is new? What does this team have to lose? You’ve seen the guys who are on the depth chart right now, but it seems unlikely that he wouldn’t, at least, haul in a few catches. He plays with heart and a lot of swagger, something this offense needs. It’s only a matter of time before this man gets a real shot on an NFL roster and becomes a reliable weapon. Philly might as well bring him along until they’re healthy at wide receiver.

Burnett has been protected on Philly’s practice squad every single week of the season so far, so it’s crystal clear that he’s one of the first options the front office is going to look at any time there’s an injury, especially at wide receiver. It certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to get him into the lineup right now.