Howie Roseman Talks Alshon Jeffery, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside

Eagles general manager sounded as if Jeffery will return, says Arcega-Whiteside needs to have a big offseason

PHILADELPHIA – Howie Roseman told a tale of two wide receivers when he met with reporters on Wednesday morning.

The Eagles general manager spoke of Alshon Jeffery and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.

Jeffery will be back next season. That is what Roseman seemed to indicate, though he said that no personnel evaluations have been done, yet.

It’s just that contract thing, where Jeffery took a pay cut last year in order to have his deal guaranteed in 2020, with a salary cap charge of more than $15 million and more than $26 million in dead money if the Eagles release him, but save just over $4 million under the salary cap.

Roseman said the team made that move in order to try create salary flexibility.

Then there’s Jeffery’s recent surgery for a Lisfranc sprain Jeffery had and has him pushing his way along with his right leg being supported by a scooter.

That and the contract will make it difficult for Roseman to deal the veteran pass catcher in the offseason.

“I think we forget some of the contributions to our team that Alshon has had: during our Super Bowl year, the injury he played with not missing a game and the contributions in that Super Bowl game, and last year he had 11 catches during the playoffs, and even this year in his last game he had nine catches for over 130 yards in the Miami game,” said Roseman.

“Alshon is a talented player and he loves being an Eagle and he loves this city. I think about the moment last year, after the New Orleans game, when he went into that school and put himself out there.”

As for Arcega-Whiteside, his production at Stanford was important to Roseman.

Anyone looking for a reason as to why Roseman, in coordination with Joe Douglas, who is now the general manager of the New York Jets, drafted Arcega-Whiteside over D.K. Metcalf can start right there.

Arcega-Whiteside went seven spots ahead of Metcalf in the second round, and the difference between the seasons each had is stark.

Metcalf set a Seattle team-record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 160 against the Eagles in a 17-9 win in last Sunday’s wildcard playoff game. Arcega-Whiteside had zero yards.

For the season, Metcalf had 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns; Arcega Whiteside 10 receptions for 169 yards and one score.

“There have been some successful receivers from this draft class, and we don't have our head in the sand and not notice that and go back and kind of look at that,” said Roseman. “I think when we look at it, the most surprising thing for us as we've studied this and the things that are important, is that there are three rookie receivers who never had more than 40 catches in a college season who have been tremendously productive this year.

“Is that a factor for us when we look at college production and we kind of see how important that is to us, do we have to go back and look at that? And I think we do.”

Well, that may not be the right answer.

Mack Hollins never had more than 40 catches in a single season and he was released during the season after a string of catch-less games. He had 81 catches in his career at North Carolina.

Arcega-Whiteside, on the other hand, had 48 catches as a junior, 63 as a senior and a career total of 135.

The three receivers Roseman eluded to are Metcalf, who had just 67 catches in his career at Mississippi with a high of 39 in a season; Mecole Hardman, who went one spot ahead of Arcega-Whiteside in the draft, had a total of 60 at Georgia with his single-season high being 35; and Terry McClaurin, who was drafted 19 spots after Arcega-Whiteside, and in the third round, by the Washington Redskins and totaled 75 catches at Ohio State, but never more than 35 in a year.

“J.J. is a talented kid,” said Roseman. “He has tools in his body, and he had production. I think back to after the Baltimore preseason game, myself and some members of our personnel staff got some calls from people around the league that maybe he was going to be the Rookie of the Year.

“That doesn't mean that he doesn't have to take a jump, because he does. This offseason is really important for him. I don't think we saw the best of J.J. He was affected a little by injuries.”