Philadelphia Eagles: Alshon Jeffery vital to Carson Wentz’s development
By Pete Sawan
Many signs point to the pairing of Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery as the most important duo the Philadelphia Eagles have seen in years.
Now, it’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles have had their problems with stability at quarterback and wide receiver over the past few seasons. They finally found an answer to the quarterback issue after drafting Carson Wentz. Okay, that’s all well and good. You’ve got the franchise quarterback. Now you need the weapons. Well, the Eagles have hopefully figured that out with the signing of Pro Bowl wideout Alshon Jeffery.
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Well, that relationship may need a little more work. Apparently, Jeffery has not acclimated to the Eagles’ offense as quickly as many would have hoped. According to wide receivers coach Mike Groh, the 27-year-old ran the wrong route on a third-down play in last week’s win against the Buffalo Bills. This should come as pretty shocking considering how talented Jeffery is.
But, he shook it off.
While Alshon Jeffery should have known the route he was supposed to run, given his acumen, it doesn’t really make sense to rag on him. In a short week, where he was semi-practicing and semi-recovering from a shoulder injury, it makes sense for confusion to exist. At the end of the day, it was most likely a freak incident that will probably blow over once the regular season hits.
Now, as for Carson Wentz, this year proves ever so vital to his development as a quarterback.
From Wentz He Came
Going into his sophomore season, Carson Wentz has much more at his disposal than last year. The biggest weapon he now has is Alshon Jeffery. After a year of mediocrity at the wide receiver position, having someone like Jeffery is rather refreshing. He’s definitely an upgrade over guys like Jordan Matthews, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Paul Turner.
Wentz showed last season that, even though he threw 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, that he was worthy of the second overall selection that the 2016 NFL Draft. Add a Pro-Bowl wide receiver like Alshon Jeffery to the mix, and Wentz may be one of the rare cases where a quarterback doesn’t fall into the “sophomore slump”.
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While Jeffery was suspended for four games last season after violating the NFL’s PED policy, he still ended up with 821 yards receiving and two touchdowns. That’s not that impressive, but remember, he had Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer, and Matt Barkley throwing to him. That’s a pretty bland group of quarterbacks throwing to you. With Wentz, we can hopefully guarantee that over the course of the season they will become more accustom to one another.
Gunslinger Wentz
Finally, Carson Wentz desperately needs a guy like Alshon Jeffery. Specifically, for Jeffery’s ability to go after the deep ball. Last season, Alshon averaged 15.8 receiving yards per reception. For comparison’s sake, Jordan Matthews averaged 11.0 receiving yards per reception and played two more games than Jeffery. With Wentz’s arm and Alshon’s hands, it only makes sense that this duo would work.
Turns out, it very well might.
Yesterday, the Eagles held a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins. In that practice, the Birds’ offense went up against the Phins’ defense. The results may surprise you. The scrimmage included a 20-yard touchdown bomb from Wentz to Jeffery against former Eagles’ cornerback Byron Maxwell. It just goes to show that, with time, these two can serious gel.
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Fortunately for them, the season doesn’t start until September 10th. Time will tell, but given this new development, this pairing could do some serious damage.