Giants CB Prince Amukamara: Eagles miss DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant
New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara said Thursday the Philadelphia Eagles miss wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant, according to NJ.com.
Both players left to sign with other teams in the offseason. Jackson was released by the Eagles in March and signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Washington Redskins four days later. Avant was a free agent after his contract with Philadelphia expired. He signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in April.
When asked if the Eagles' offense misses Jackson, Amukamara said the receiver is hard to replace.
"As a player, of course they miss him. You can't coach speed and I don't know if he's replaceable. That's tough. He's such a great player and attracts a lot of attention on the field."
"The only difference is [Foles] doesn't have DeSean [Jackson] and [Jason] Avant anymore and those guys were great, great key guys," Amukamara said. "I guess it's just tough for those other guys to fill in their shoes."
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In 16 games last season for the Eagles, Jackson caught 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns. The receptions and yardage were career highs for Jackson and the touchdown mark tied his previous high, set in 2009. So far this season, Jackson has 20 catches for 364 yards and two touchdowns.
Last season Avant had 38 catches for 447 yards and two touchdowns with the Eagles. He has 21 receptions for 132 yards with Carolina this season.
Despite the losses of Jackson and Avant, the Eagles are in first place in the NFC East with a record of 4-1. The Eagles and Giants (3-2) play Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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