Eagles Confident J.J. Arcega-Whiteside Will be More than Just a Blocker
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz threw the ball 42 times last week against Washington. Not once did he aim it in the direction of J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
If the Eagles coaches start talking about what a great blocker the second-year receiver is, then it will likely be time for him to start packing his bags and looking for a new team.
That is what happened with Mack Hollins last year, with then-receiver coach Carson Walch and then-offensive coordinator Mike Groh raving about Hollins blocking skills as he went ignored in the offense as a pass-catcher.
Hollins was released after 12 games in which he made 10 catches for 125 yards. He is now with the Miami Dolphins.
This doesn’t feel like a Hollins type of situation with Arcega-Whiteside, though.
Yes, JJAW played 28 of the snaps last week (41 percent), and yes, he didn’t have a ball thrown in his direction.
He was supposed to, though.
The Eagles had dialed up a play from the 5-yard line where Arcega-Whiteside was the first option. Washington’s defense took it away, so Wentz went to Zach Ertz for the first TD of the 2020 season.
“That's just what happens in the course of a play and we target certain guys, but if that guy is not available, we have to reload and go somewhere else with the football,” said head coach Doug Pederson prior to Friday’s practice in preparation for Sunday’s home opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
“So, he continues to be a part of the game plan. His role will increase I think each and every week and he's done an outstanding job for us.”
Pederson added though, “we've asked him to do some things even in the run game as far as a blocker and he's really taken on that role, and even on special teams, he's approached everything a lot differently this year, which is positive because he's prideful and he wants to play, and so we're doing everything we can to make sure he's on the field.”
Arcega-Whiteside had a strong training camp, just as he did during his rookie season after arriving as a second-round pick from Stanford. Then the season began, and Arcega-Whiteside never got untracked.
He lost between five to 10 pounds in the offseason, training both his body and mind for this season.
His turn will come.
Receiver coach Aaron Moorehead had a talk with Arcega-Whiteside this week to remind him that he had a great camp and he played well.
“He’s done so much better than where he was at last year at this time,” said Moorehead on Friday afternoon. “You watch the tape of some of those games late in the season compared to now, and it’s like night and day.
“But I did reassure him that you’re in our plans to have targets and things like that, but unfortunately last game it didn’t happen. Hopefully this week he gets some targets and we’re confident that J.J. is going to go out there and make plays for our offense.”
Plays, not just blocks.
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