How will the Eagles use Alshon Jeffery in his Return?
A win in the shadow of the New York City skyline on Sunday afternoon and the Eagles grasp on a second-straight NFC East title will get tighter, maybe a grip that will be unbreakable by the other floundering teams in the division.
Then there’s the return of Alshon Jeffery, which is a solid subplot to the actual game itself.
Jeffery hasn’t played in nearly a month.
Ironically, his last game, on Dec. 9 last year, was against the Giants. It was in that game that he suffered a Lisfranc injury after 20 snaps that required surgery and months of rehab.
He’s 30 now and most of the franchise’s fan base wanted him gone before the season even started, and, and by all accounts, none of those fans have changed their mind.
Buckle up, though, Jeffery is also going to have a role on Sunday.
“I'm hopeful that he can just kind of plug and play, but realistically I think it's going to take some time,” said head coach Doug Pederson. “It's going to take a little bit of time for him to get comfortable in the game, to be up to game speed, to kind of get fully integrated back into playing football.”
I’m setting the over/under for snaps at 15.
“It has been a while,” said Pederson. “That's why our plan has to behoove him as a player and the offense. It's just something that we have to as a staff be smart if he's ready to go that - you know, I don't want to crush Alshon physically and factor in fatigue or more injury or whatever.
“So, we have to be smart with that, but I also have to listen to Alshon and how he feels going into this week.”
Expect Jeffery’s snaps to come on the outside, because both Jalen Reagor and Travis Fulgham have slot versatility. Also, Greg Ward isn’t just a slot receiver. He can also line up outside.
That’s the thing about this WR group – it is versatile.
Jeffery, though, is at his best on the outside, but his presence will help this team win games.
Listen to his wide receiver teammates talk, and they all say what a good teammate Jeffery has been, from Jalen Reagor to John Hightower to Quez Watkins. Nobody has a bad word to say about the veteran.
Jeffery’s return gives the Eagles seven healthy receivers for the first time in a long time.
So who sits?
Start with Watkins. The final season on the bench will likely be between John Hightower and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
The bet here is JJAW.
But that’s OK because Jeffery’s return makes this team better and makes this WR group more dangerous.
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