The Philadelphia Eagles can certainly keep seven wide receivers

While it would be a tad unconventional for the Philadelphia Eagles to keep seven wide receivers going into 2021, Howie Roseman has a thing for the unconventional.

By selecting three wide receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft – and trading for one more – the Philadelphia Eagles opened themselves up to a ton of external speculation.

‘Who will start in the slot?’

‘Can JJ Arcega-Whiteside take a step forward in his development?’

‘Who is the odd man out when the team trims down their roster to 53?’

See what I mean? There are a ton, some of which are simply unknowable until things kick into gear and the boys in midnight green take the field later this summer and/or fall.

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However, one question I can pretty confidently dispel is the theory that the Eagles have to move on from one, maybe two of their receivers before the start of the regular season.

Why? Because Howie Roseman doesn’t give a flying hoot about traditional roster composition.

Since returning to power in 2016 – though really, from 2017 on – Roseman has made decisions that would make his counterparts across the league blush.

Whether that be keeping five running backs and 10 defensive linemen in 2017, four safeties and four tight ends in 2018, or only two tight ends for the majority of the 2019 season, Roseman has not looked at the Eagles’ initial 53 man roster as a snapshot of a finished product. Heck, Roseman has even kept players like DeAndre Carter around for the first day of the regular season, only to waive him days – or even hours – later to make room for a waiver claim.

Is that a tad brutal, to tell someone they’ve made it only to take it away? Maybe so but football – like pretty much everything in life – is a business and those sort of cutthroat, quick thinking moves can be the difference between an underwhelming 8-8 run in 2016 and a Super Bowl run one year later.

Assuming the Eagles’ wide receivers corps remains healthy through the preseason, and none played themselves out of a job, it’s totally possible the team keeps all seven and would be wise to do so.

When the 2021 NFL season opens up, Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson will be 31 and 34 respectably and could cost the team well over $10 million to retain barring a contract renegotiation. With Jeffery missing serious time in four of his last five seasons, and four new speedy receivers potentially vying with Jackson for his spot as the Eagles’ top deep threat, there’s a world whether both players are suiting up elsewhere in 2021 in what could be their last chance to stick with an NFL team for one last title shot.

For his part, Roseman drafted JJAW to be the team’s new Jeffery, and Reagor to be the next Jackson, so it feels borderline obvious that neither are viewed internally as viable long-term pieces to build with alongside Carson Wentz well into the 2020s – and rightly so.

Is JJAW ever going to be able to high-point a ball and bring in contested catches like 2017 Jeffery? And what about the dynamic quartet of Reagor, John Hightower, Quez Watkins, and Marquise Goodwin? After trying – and failing – to develop the next Jackson since his exit in 2013, will any of these players develop into true heirs, or are they doomed to the same fates of the Mack Hollinses, Shelton Gibsones, and Chris Givenses before them?

This, my friends, is why you keep seven wide receivers if all seven show promise: You never know if one, or more, could develop into contributors down the line with some additional seasoning.

It took Greg Ward three years and a trip to the AAF to become a viable NFL wide receiver after a prolific stint playing quarterback for Houston from 2014-17 and he ended up being the team’s most reliable target in a must-win stretch of games to make it to the 2019 playoffs. Who is to say Watkins can’t develop in a similar way, and far surpass Ward’s 2019 play due to his 4.35 speed on a bigger frame.

I’d like to see it.

Is keeping seven wide receivers a tad unconventional? Maybe so, but so is drafting a receiver in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft after selecting one in the first round, fourth round, and adding a third via trade. Howie Roseman selected John Hightower, traded for Marquise Goodwin, and then still opted to draft Quez Watkins all after using the 21st overall pick on Jalen Reagor because he believed all four were the best players available at the time. Barring a total collapse by one or more of these players – or Alshon Jeffery starting the season on injured reserve – it’s safe to say all seven should be strong contenders to make the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 roster later this year.