Could John Hightower make his 2021 Eagles debut in Week 9?

Following the Philadelphia Eagles Week 8 victory over the Detroit Lions, head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about a few injuries. Sophomore wideout Jalen Reagor (ankle) will be evaluated as the week progresses. They are hopeful that he can play but it’s sure to be something that we will find out more about day by day. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside came into Sunday listed as questionable and left the game with a back injury. If one or both of them can’t go, the Eagles have three other wideouts on the roster in DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Greg Ward. On the practice squad, the Birds have KeeSean Johnson and John Hightower.

Out of those two, Hightower is more likely to earn the promotion considering that he has been protected from other teams in recent weeks. Johnson has experience with 585 offensive snaps logged in two seasons, but Hightower played 346 snaps in his rookie season and already has four starts to his name.

Is John Hightower’s 2021 debut coming soon?

Hightower only made ten catches during his rookie campaign, but they came in big spots. He averaged 16.7 yards per reception and contributed two fifty-yard catches in back-to-back weeks versus the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants. Without his 59-yarder versus New York, the Birds probably don’t win that game.

That being said, Hightower also had his fair share of issues with ball tracking. Route running, coverage recognition, and separation weren’t major areas of concern, but he had plenty of opportunities for big plays that were unsuccessful due to inaccurate passes, lack of awareness, and lack of vision from the quarterbacks. At the same time, he was also responsible for some of the dropped passes and poor attempts to snag the ball downfield.

The case could also be made that Hightower isn’t just a deep threat. Doug Pederson called a lot of vertical routes last season for the young wideouts. With the small sample size we have of Hightower at the short and intermediate levels, he ran some nice slants and digs as the year progressed.

Right now, the Birds already have their deep threat in Quez Watkins, and he has created plenty of separation on a variety of routes. He has proven to be so much more than a deep threat. It doesn’t show in the box score, but on the tape, he has presented himself as an option to Jalen Hurts more often than not. Perhaps, with more playing time, Hightower can prove to be the same.

Having Hightower on the field as a threat to take the top off of defense might allow Watkins to be more of a focal point as well. When the Birds want to create space at the intermediate level, Watkins is often the guy to take attract multiple defenders to the deep part of the field.

If Hightower is elevated and Reagor can’t go this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Ward will likely get the start. Thus far, Ward has been a situational wideout so Hightower would likely fill that role in a different fashion due to his style of play. Arcega-Whiteside’s injury is more likely to have an impact on 7-man protection, run blocking, screen plays, and special teams. He still hasn’t received a target this season, nor has he run many routes.

Despite barely being left off of the 53-man roster, Hightower is still valued by the organization evidenced by the weekly practice squad protections. It was a close call for that final spot, and a strong case could have been made for giving him a spot on the team.

Special teams probably gave Arcega-Whiteside the edge, but now, there’s seemingly a need at the position. Week 9 might be John Hightower’s first opportunity of the season. With plenty of time to prepare, he should be eager to take advantage of any snaps. At the least, he could return kicks if nothing else.