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The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the NFL’s most explosive rosters on paper, but the 2019 season clearly showed that injuries and inconsistency can derail even the best offense.
Howie Roseman utilized the 2020 offseason to increase the speed on the roster, trading for Marquise Goodwin, while also drafting Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins.
Throw in a healthy DeSean Jackson, a healthy JJ Arcega-Whiteside and the Eagles have something to add to the mix of Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Zach Ertz, and Dallas Goedert.
ESPN recently ranked the offensive weapons for all 32 NFL teams and even though they should have been higher, the Eagles landed in a great spot at No. 10 on the list.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
2019 rank: 4 | 2018 rank: 7On paper, the Eagles should be higher. At wide receiver, they can utilize two talented veterans (DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery), two highly drafted young players (JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor) and two speed demons (Marquise Goodwin and John Hightower). When you throw in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert at tight end, this should be one of the best receiving corps in the league.
Of course, that group has flaws. Jackson missed most of 2019 with a core injury, and his future with the team is uncertain after he posted anti-Semitic messages on social media. Jeffery suffered a Lisfranc injury in December, and he has no timetable for return. Arcega-Whiteside was a disaster as a rookie, averaging just 0.58 yards per route run while dealing with injuries and making mental mistakes. Goodwin has missed 12 games over the past two season with various injuries and personal absences. Reagor and Hightower are rookies. Chances are that one or two of these guys will turn out to be productive players, but there’s also a realistic chance that Philadelphia is frustrated by its wide receivers again in 2020.
The workload at running back will fall on Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, although it still seems likely that the Eagles will add at least one veteran back before the start of the regular season. Sanders narrowly topped 800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards as a rookie. The list of backs to hit the 500-500 club as a rookie since the 1970 merger is pretty impressive: Sanders, Saquon Barkley, Alvin Kamara, Gio Bernard, Reggie Bush, Edgerrin James, Marshall Faulk, Herschel Walker, Earl Cooper, and Billy Sims.
If Corey Clement and Alshon Jeffery can regain their magic from previous seasons, the sky is truly the limit in Philadelphia.
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