It's Time Eagles Find Way to Move on From DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson slept throughout much of last weekend’s flight to California.
He didn’t snooze in his seat, but on the floor of the plane with his left ankle elevated in an attempt to keep blood from collecting around that joint and forcing it to swell.
It worked, sort of, when he was in and out of the game, mostly the first half, last Sunday night against the San Francisco 49ers.
"I was still feeling it in the first half, and it really became numb in the second half," said Johnson on Friday.
"It feels better this week. I practiced fully (Friday), which is something I hadn’t done in a while. It’s getting better slowly but surely. And keep trucking."
On Monday, he had the culprit for some of that swelling drained in the form of a cyst.
Now, he’s ready to play when the Eagles visit Pittsburgh on Sunday for a 1 p.m. game.
“There were about 6 ccs of fluid in my ankle, which is kind of sitting there and becoming inflamed,” said Johnson. “It was hard to push off with it. Got that drained, practiced full today, so that was good. And starting to walk around with no pain, so it’s getting better.”
Then there’s the contrast regarding who won’t play: DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery are both out for Sunday.
While Johnson keeps on trucking, the two veteran WRs continue to watch from a safe distance on game days.
Eagles fans are frustrated by Jackson in particular and wanted to move on from Jeffery since last season, though his contract is fully guaranteed and would have cost the Eagles a lot of dead money to just cut ties with him.
It’s probably best that the Eagles do whatever they can at this point, five weeks into the season, to do whatever they have to, no matter how much money they have to eat, to move on from both veteran receivers.
Jackson has a hamstring issue and will miss his second game after hurting it in the first half against the Bengals two weeks ago. Since returning to the Eagles last offseason, he will have now played in six of a possible 22 games counting last year’s playoff game. And of those games, he didn’t finish three of them due to injury.
Jeffery is still recovering from surgery 10 months ago for a LisFranc injury. He hasn't played since Dec. 9.
It took Brandon Brooks less than eight months to come back from his first Achilles tear.
The Eagles had hoped to get Jeffery more reps this week but an illness, not related to COVID-19 according to head coach Doug Pederson, kept him out of practice late in the week and now out of yet another game.
Meanwhile, Jeffery continues to collect every penny of his guaranteed salary of $9.9 million this season.
Neither Jackson nor Jeffery figure to be on the team next year, so why not move on sooner?
Understandably, there is a difference between playing offensive line and receiver, with different movements and different playing speeds that need to be achieved in the course of a game, still, it’s not a good look when Johnson can play after having ankle surgery in August and a subsequent draining of that ankle, yet still lines up each week.
It’s just not good from an optics standpoint.
Besides, Jalen Reagor will be back next month and why not let the Eagles see if J.J. Arcega-Whiteside can be a factor – he is running out of chances – and let players such as rookie John Hightower, Deontay Burnett, and Travis Fulgham develop?
Also, just go ahead and activate rookie Quez Watkins and keep Greg Ward coming.
Watkins looks ready to return, just completing his second week in the three-week window the Eagles have to make a decision after moving him off Injured Reserve. If Watkins isn’t active by the end of next weekend, he must be shut down for the season, per NFL rules.
“He's been getting himself back into game shape,” said Pederson about Watkins. “We haven't made a decision yet on his status, but he's doing well. He's doing well.”
Well enough it would seem to just let him play and move on from those who cannot.
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