Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Reagor is (almost) all out of bubble gum

The Philadelphia Eagles’ first-round pick is ready to silence the doubters.

When news broke that Philadelphia Eagles‘ wide receiver DeSean Jackson was heading to IR with a non-displaced ankle fracture, it called the once and present receiver’s future into question.

Sure, Jackson has already declared his desire to return for the 2021 season, but with the final year of his contract only partially guaranteed, it’s highly unlikely the Eagles will keep him on the books for an additional $5.1 million when he just can’t seem to stay on the field for more than a few weeks at a time. Barring a seriously restructured deal that drops his overall money considerably while subsequently converting what remains into a smaller guaranteed sum, the second ‘DeSean Jackon-era’ in South Philly is all but certainly approaching its conclusion; gone with a whimper, not a bang.

But when one door closes, another opens, and when one player heads on IR, another earns an opportunity to fill their seat.

More from Section 215

Fittingly enough, that player is probably going to be Jalen Reagor.

Now as you may or may not know, Howie Roseman opted to select Reagor with the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft because of his big play-ability. At TCU, Reagor was a human highlight reel independent of quarterback play. Whether catching balls from Shawn Robinson, or the much less experienced freshman signal-caller Max Duggan, Reagor was consistently able to make plays with the ball in his hands, and fight for balls down the field as a sort of ‘Julio Jones Jr.’ to paraphrase his current quarterback.

Does Reagor have Jackson’s pure deep speed? No. While many have called into question the legitimacy of his 4.47 40 yard dash at the 2020 NFL Draft Combine, as Reagor admitted he’d put on some bad weight going into the event, it’s clear the former Horned Frog isn’t the second coming of Tyreek Hill, let alone Jackson. But, if you can think back to Week 1, you may recall Reagor hauling in a massive 55-yard bomb the likes of which hadn’t been seen since Week 1 of the previous season, so something tells me he’ll be able to appropriate what Jackson brings as a go baller without too much of a fall off.

Which is good because football fans outside of the City of Brotherly Love seem to have forgotten about just how good Reagor can be.

Yeah, as unfortunate as it may be, if you happen to mosey on over to Twitter on a day where Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, or even Tee Higgins is playing a game of football, you’ll surely come across some overly cynical posters calling into question the decision to draft Reagor in the first round, or worse yet, calling the 21-year-old burner a bust two games into his NFL career.

Is that an absolutely ridiculous statement to make for any first-year draftee, especially one who suffered a torn UCL two weeks into a rookie season with a very limited offseason? Oh yeah, most definitely, but in this weird world of hyper-finite hot takes that can change considerably from minute to minute with no real consequences, what do you really expect? In the NFL, the best ability is availability, and if you’re sitting on a fantasy football bench with a big ‘ole goose egg next to your name, you are as good as a 45-year-old basketball player day hooping it up at the YMCA in a stained up crop top.

And you know what? If that’s your take, cool. Reagor just had his 21-day window to return activated by the Eagles a day removed from watching their Week 8 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, all but throw in the towel on the 2020 NFL season (more on that here), so soon everyone will have to put their money where their mouth is.

Soon enough, we will finally see if Reagor is the dynamic offensive weapon the Eagles have desperately been looking for in 2020 – a Brandon Cooks meets Deebo Samuel-type equally as effective before and after contact – or if the Eagles will be heading back to the well to invest another premium pick in search of a young, dynamic pass catcher.

Sidebar: The Philadelphia Eagles are probably still going to use a premium pick on a wide receiver in 2021 to either serve as their long-term answer at the Y or Z spot but that’s neither here nor there.

As crazy as it sounds, the Eagles haven’t had a wide receiver record more than 350 yards after the catch since 2018 and not for lack of effort. The team attempted to alleviate this need by trading for Golden Tate, a certified YAC monster, in 2018, but he was unable to recreate his Detroit magic in our fair city. The same goes for Nelson Agholor, who saw his overall effectiveness drop considerably from his 2018 peak to his 2019 valley. If Reagor can finally turn some of those all too predictable screen passes into positive yardage, the Eagles’ offense could be rolling to a degree we haven’t seen since the 2017 season, when Doug Pederson implemented his now-infamous RPO-heavy offense that seemingly disappears until the team has their back against the wall.

Next. 3 reasons the Philadelphia Eagles will be buyers at the trade deadline. dark

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see how Jalen Reagor looks lined up across from Travis Fulgham and Greg Ward, whether that comes in Week 8 against the Cowboys or as late as Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns. After sitting on the sideline for weeks, patiently biding his time while external observers critiqued his pedigree, I’m beyond stoked to see the 21-year-old TCU product go full-on Roddy Piper on the best of the best the NFC East has to offer. Based on his spider chart alone, the division has never seen a player quite like Jalen Reagor.

Home/Philadelphia Eagles