Most important Eagles for 2020: Eagles need more than 1 game from DeSean Jackson

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Over the next four weeks, we’ll be counting down the 20 most important Eagles for the 2020 season. 

20: Nate Sudfeld 
19. Avonte Maddox
18. Nathan Gerry
17. Dallas Goedert  
16. Derek Barnett
15. Jalen Reagor 
14. Jalen Mills
13. Brandon Brooks
12. Rodney McLeod
11. Javon Hargrave
10. Miles Sanders  
9. Andre Dillard
8. Brandon Graham
7. Zach Ertz 
6. DeSean Jackson 

DeSean Jackson played just one full game for the Eagles in 2019, but it was one helluva game. 

In the season opener against his former team (Washington), Jackson caught eight passes for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. He caught touchdown passes of 51 and 53 yards. 

It looked like he was destined for a great season to start off his second stint with the Birds. But he got hurt in Week 2 and had a failed attempt to return in November. 

There was no questioning just how much the Eagles missed him after he went down last season. Without Jackson, the Eagles desperately missed his stretch-the-field speed and became a plodding offense that needed long drives to score points. 

After that Week 1 performance, the Eagles didn’t have another 50-yard catch the rest of the season. Just three teams had fewer 50-yard passes. And just three teams had fewer than their total of six 40-yard passes. 

The Eagles need Jackson to stay on the field in 2020. The good news is that Jackson’s core muscle injury and surgery are in the past now and he looks to be in good shape as the Eagles prepare for 2020. 

The bad news is that Jackson is a 33-year-old speed receiver who has played a full season just twice in his 11-year career. So even if Jackson is his usual speedy self in 2020, it’s probably fair to expect him to miss at least a couple games this season. 

It seems like the Eagles are more prepared for that this season. They’ve added other fast receivers like Jalen Reagor, Marquise Goodwin, John Hightower and Quez Watkins. They know they can’t afford to lose the element of speed from their offense. 

But let’s not get anything twisted. As much as it might help to have other fast receivers on the team, none of them are Jackson. Simply put, Jackson is one of the best deep threats in NFL history. And even though he’s over a decade into his NFL career, he’s a really important part of the 2020 team.

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