I hope everyone enjoys watching some stress-free football today.
The Eagles have a mini bye after playing on Thursday night football so I had plenty of time to dip into the mailbag.
Your first round of questions here.
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And here are some more:
There are some good signs about the future; that’s for sure. Of the guys you listed there, let’s start with Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders. The Eagles have had great tight end play for years with Zach Ertz but now that situation is kind of up in the air as you look to the future. I don’t know if Goedert will ever be as productive as Ertz but he’s really good and, honestly, more explosive. He’s a fun player to watch. And Sanders has dealt with some injuries during his first two years but when he’s on the field, he’s really good. He has Pro Bowl potential.
Now for the actual receivers: There are some positive signs but these guys still have more to prove. Greg Ward is a really solid player and we already know that. Travis Fulgham looks like the real deal but he’s just four games into his career. Will he be a superstar? I don’t know. But he’s already shown me he’s an NFL receiver. And then there are the rookies. John Hightower has 50-yard catches in back-to-back games and that’s a great sign after a couple of drops. The fact that he rebounded from those drops, and that the Eagles had enough confidence in him to go back to him, is a great sign. We haven’t seen much of Quez Watkins yet but don’t forget about him either.
I really liked what I saw from Jalen Reagor earlier in the year and it’s a real shame he got hurt. It’s even more of a shame that Justin Jefferson and Chase Claypool have been very good since that injury. I thought the Eagles should have drafted Jefferson at No. 21 but I understood why they liked Reagor so much. And right now I have no reason to think Reagor won’t return and become a star. Let’s give him some time.
You’ll notice that I didn’t mention J.J. Arcega-Whiteside above and that’s because I’m not really sure what the future holds for him in Philly. After getting some decent playing time before his injury, JJAW has gotten 8, 12 and 13 snaps since his return. He’s clearly behind Fulgham, Ward, Hightower and will be behind Reagor and Alshon Jeffery when they return. That’s pretty far back on the depth chart.
I kind of agree with you about the red zone. Right after the fade attempt to Hakeem Butler on Thursday I wondered aloud about whether I’d rather run that play to JJAW. I think I would. But the Eagles clearly don’t have a ton of confidence in their former second-round pick. If he were to snag a touchdown catch, maybe that would help. But it seems like time is running out for him.
I agree this hasn’t been the best season for Doug Pederson, play caller. He absolutely has to get better.
But I think he’s struggling now in large part because of all the injuries he has on offense and I wrote about that yesterday. He’s down to two original starters on offense but he’s still trying to call games like he has everyone available. So when we see the Eagles get stopped on 3rd-and-1, you remember Isaac Seumalo and Brandon Brooks aren’t out there.
Ultimately, it has to be on Pederson to figure out what works for the group of players he has on the field. That doesn’t mean it’s easy — it definitely isn’t — but that’s the hard part of his job. He has an offense with a ton of missing pieces and a quarterback who has struggled to get into a consistent rhythm. All of that can be hidden (to a certain degree) by better play calling.
For a while I have been wondering if it would help to have someone else take over play-calling for a while or even just for a half here or there. I think a fresh perspective might help, but Pederson doesn’t seem too keen on the idea. I doubt it happens.
This is a fair point. How do we know a guy can’t play unless we’ve seen it? And based on the success of Travis Fulgham and Jordan Mailata, how can we really trust that the Eagles have the best grasp on this? I guess we can’t.
But in the case of Davion Taylor, specifically, the Eagles weren’t alone in labeling this guy a project, even if they didn’t use that word. There’s no question he’s athletic but his limited football background is well noted. Ultimately, this becomes a tricky situation. Because on one hand, we see the Eagles’ linebackers struggle and think, “Well, I’d rather have the talented rookie in there learning. He can’t be worse than these guys anyway.” And I get that. But the Eagles are also trying to not toss this kid into the deep end.
I think the answer probably falls in between. I don’t think Taylor should be starting but I’d also start to carve out a role for him (and for Shaun Bradley) on defense. In general, the Eagles’ weird position (2-4-1 with playoff hopes) muddies the water too. In any other year, a team with two wins would be playing their young kids. But I think both things can happen the rest of 2020.
The Eagles went into Thursday’s game with just three running backs active: Boston Scott, Corey Clement and Jason Huntley. Miles Sanders was out with a knee injury. Because of needs at other positions, the Eagles didn’t elevate Elijah Holyfield or Adrian Killins. Of those two, Killins was up earlier in the season and that’s probably because he’s a more versatile player.
I’m kind of with you on Holyfield, though. I wouldn’t mind seeing him at some point. He had a good training camp and the Eagles liked him enough last year to bring him in at the end of the season. If it hadn’t been for claiming Huntley off waivers, maybe Holyfield would have already gotten the call. But after keeping just three on the initial 53-man roster, the Eagles did claim Huntley and they clearly like him more than Holyfield. And when Sanders is healthy, there’s not much meat left on the bone for anyone.
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