The Philadelphia Eagles have a difficult decision when it comes to shaping their 53 man roster on a weekly basis. Injuries and attrition have left the Birds vulnerable at almost every position.
Against the Giants on Monday night football, Doug Pederson made the decision to only carry three wide receivers on the active roster, choosing to promote tight end, Josh Perkins, instead.
The decision left some analysts and pundits perplexed and it almost cost the Eagles after Alshon Jeffery was forced to leave the game with a Lisfranc injury.
With Nelson Agholor already inactive, the Eagles were left with Greg Ward and JJ Arcega-Whiteside as the teams only healthy receivers.
Had one of those players been forced to leave the contest, backup quarterback and all-around athlete, Josh McCown, would have entered the game at wide receiver.
With the Eagles playing for their playoff lives on Sunday, Pederson appears prepared to enter the contest with three receivers again, this time replacing the injured Alshon Jeffery with practice squad wideout, Robert Davis.
Pederson gave some insight into his decision per Jeff Skversky of 6 ABC.
“I look at it as nine bodies, with tight ends, runners and receivers, so we have everything covered that way,” Pederson said. “We have a plan to the plan to the plan to the plan if we lose a guy during the course of the game. It’s where we are right now as a team, as an offense.”
With seven cornerbacks and seven defensive ends, Pederson could have chosen to add another wide receiver that way, sitting one of his underused defensive players.
Instead, Pederson will look to make up for his deficiencies on the outside with star power and versatility at other spots.
Miles Sanders and Boston Scott provide a dynamic duo at running back, while tight end Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Perkins provide a matchup nightmare for the Redskins, who’ll likely double the Eagles Pro Bowler in Ertz.