As Eagles training camp got started, head coach Nick Sirianni said 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor was “battling for a spot.”
Philadelphia has effectively used three first-round picks in a row on receivers. Reagor was the choice at No. 21 overall in 2020. The club picked DeVonta Smith at No. 10 overall in 2021. And in April, the Eagles sent their first rounder to the Titans as part of the deal for A.J. Brown.
With Smith and Brown slated to start on the outside and 2020 sixth-round pick Quez Watkins projected to start in the slot, Reagor could be the odd man out. Philadelphia also added Zach Pascal in free agency, who Sirianni has familiarity with from their shared time on the Colts.
Reagor understands all of this as he works through his third training camp.
“I love a good challenge. It’s a humbling experience, ‘cause you go from a first-rounder to you’re battling,” Reagor said Wednesday, via Dave Spadaro of the team’s website. “But I like challenges, though.
“We’ve got a helluva room and there is competition in there. Obviously, people have their jobs and some people don’t, some people fighting. You’ve just got to come in and when people go down, you step up and just be ready when it’s your time.”
Reagor played 67 percent of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps last year, catching 33 passes for 299 yards with a pair of touchdowns in 17 games. Given the talent the Eagles have brought in at receiver, there’s a possibility the club could look to trade him. But Reagor is trying to show he belongs with the team that drafted him.
“I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Reagor said, via Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. “But it’s a business. It’s a business of production. So I’m going to handle my end and I’m going to let them handle theirs.”
