Philadelphia Eagles: Top five position battles to watch in training camp
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles have no guaranteed starter at slot WR.
As long as nobody gets injured (fingers crossed), the Eagles starting outside wide receivers are likely set for 2020. First round draft pick Jalen Reagor will see a large role as the team’s primary deep threat, while DeSean Jackson and JJ Arcega-Whiteside will likely split snaps at the other wide receiver position. Alshon Jeffery could also see some time on the outside if/when he returns.
Where questions really begin to pop up is when it comes to the team’s slot wide receiver.
The Eagles’ front office opted to bite the bullet last year and paid Nelson Agholor a whopping $9.4 million on the fifth year option. Despite there reportedly being some trade offers for the former first round pick, the team felt he could have a year similar to that of 2017 while playing in the slot.
2019 turned out to be a disastrous season for Agholor, which resulted in him settling for a league minimum contract this offseason with Las Vegas. He routinely struggled with drops, was moved all around the field, and eventually finished the year out with a knee injury.
The Eagles did find some level of reliability in the slot towards the end of the season, as former college quarterback Greg Ward emerged as Wentz’ top WR target. During the team’s magnificent four game run down the stretch, Ward recorded 21 catches, 209 yards, and one game-winning touchdown (week 16).
Heading into 2020, the Eagles did quite a bit in terms of adding at the wide receiver position. They drafted Reagor in the first round like previously mentioned, traded for veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin, and also drafted two late round targets in John Hightower and Quez Watkins.
With the current personnel, there really is no solidified starter at the slot receiver position. Reports have surfaced that the Eagles would like to run Jackson there (as they did at times during week one last year), but names like Ward, Goodwin, and Watkins could all make pushes for the job as well.
Ultimately, whoever impresses the most at training camp and whoever can stay the most healthy will win that job come week one.