Aaron Moorehead Developing Young Eagles WRs
The Eagles wanted to get more explosive on offense this season, and they have.
That may come as somewhat of a surprise, but the facts bear it out. So far this season, the team has eight plays of 40-plus yards and five plays of 50-plus yards. That was the best in the NFL heading into Sunday’s round of games.
John Hightower can take a bow here. The rookie has caught two passes covering at least 50 yards and they came in back-to-back games, with a 50-yard stab against the Ravens and a 59-yard grab against the Giants four days later.
Hightower is one of just three players with at least two catches for 50-or-more yards this season with Jamison Crowder and D.K. Metcalf the other two.
Perhaps Aaron Moorehead should also make a curtain call, considering what he has done with a young and emerging group of wideouts, from Hightower to Travis Fulgham to Greg Ward, and, soon, Jalen Reagor.
The Eagles may have finally found a keeper as a receiver coach after going through five of them in Doug Pederson’s five year-run as head coach.
Only Mike Groh found real success in 2017, turning Nelson Agholor into a vital contributor on a Super Bowl team. Groh spend only one season in that position because he was promoted to offensive coordinator.
From what anyone can tell on Zoom interviews, Hightower is a quiet, almost shy, 24-year-old.
“You can be as quiet as you want off the field but when you step on the field, your game better be loud,” said Moorehead on Tuesday.
Hightower’s game is beginning to scream, and it’s because of something Moorehead told him after the opener against Washington, when he didn’t seem to fight very hard for a pass that ended in a Carson Wentz interception.
“I thought he played a little timid and I told him that,” said Moorehead. “I said if you want DBs to be pushing and shoving you all year long then go out there and play timid. They’re going to treat you like that.”
Message received. On the very first play against the Los Angeles Rams the following week, Hightower and L.A. cornerback Jalen Ramsey got into some pushing and shoving.
“I said, ‘There it is, there’s the competitive juices coming out of him,’” said Moorehead. “He basically went out there and said, I’m not going to let you push me around and he’s done it every game.”
It can’t just be a coincidence that Fulgham has found success on his third team in two seasons.
Fulgham ranks second among NFL WRs with 357 receiving yards since Week 4, when he was promoted from the practice squad to the Eagles active roster, behind Robby Anderson (362). His 357 yards are the most by any player in their first four games as an Eagle since Terrell Owens had 364 in the Super Bowl season of 2004.
“You look at a guy who didn’t play football his whole life,” said Moorehead. “He only played the latter part of his high school career. Then kind of went as the walk-on deal to ODU (Old Dominion) and ended up becoming a great player there, gets drafted and sometimes things happen within your time somewhere.
Maybe it’s you get comfortable. Maybe it’s some things that are going on in your personal life. Maybe it’s you and the quarterback aren’t on the same age. Maybe it’s you and the coaching staff aren’t on the same page. There are things that happen.
“I can’t say that one thing or another has happened to Travis, but I know this, when he came here, there was a sense of comfort, there was a sense of something about him, as soon as he got here, he started practicing and I don’t know if it was some weight off his shoulders, maybe he didn’t feel any pressure, but all of a sudden the guy just starts making plays and he keeps making plays.”
Moorehead doesn’t sound like one to take any credit; all of a sudden, indeed.
He has had help in the room, too, from Ward, who leads the team in third-down receptions and has blossomed into a leader.
“Greg does things the right way,” said the WR coach. “At practice (Monday), just a short get in and get out practice, get the guys legs moving after the weekend, and Greg is one of the last guys out on the field, and they better be looking at him.
“They’re crazy if they’re not looking at him. He’s a guy that when guys have questions in the room, they ask him. That’s good and that’s what a leader should be.”
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