Philadelphia Eagles: At least Jalen Reagor looks promising

The Philadelphia Eagles may have gotten a good one with their first round pick.

When the Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Reagor 21st overall ahead of Justin Jefferson, Philly fans were immediately torn on how to feel. Most people wanted Jefferson; the big wide receiver out of LSU who just absolutely lit up the college football world the previous season as Joe Burrow’s go-to guy. It certainly did not help things when Reagor went down seemingly right away, as he suffered a torn UCL in his thumb after appearing in just two games. All the while, Jefferson was (and still is) emerging as a potential superstar in the NFL.

Just one year after the Eagles boneheadedly selected J.J Arcega Whiteside over D.K Metcalf; Philadelphia fans have every right to be upset with the current front office.

The good news, however, is that Reagor is back on the field, and he does look like he is going to be a really good player for the Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, I understand this is not easy to process and not something fans are going to want to hear; especially after Jefferson just went crazy on Monday Night Football to the tune of 8 catches for 135 yards. Trust me, I get it. The fanbase has every right to be upset that the LSU product is not wearing midnight green.

More from Section 215

• 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
• Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
• 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
• Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
• Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles

However, do not let that taint your view on Reagor, or want to root against him. At just 21 years old, he has certainly flashed potential in his brief experience in the NFL, and looks like he may have a pretty high ceiling himself.

In Sunday’s loss against the Giants, it was encouraging that Carson Wentz continued to look the rookie wide receiver’s way. When all was said and done, Reagor was targeted seven times, pulling in four catches for 47 yards. I am aware those are not eye popping numbers, but we are making progress here, Philadelphia. You have to also keep in mind, just how spotty the quarterback play has been this season for the Birds.

Two prime examples of this from Sunday’s game both involved Reagor. In the first instance, Wentz looked the rookie’s way on a big third down play, the play was a “rub route” type of set. Essentially, the Eagles ran two routes on top of each other, with the idea of creating seperation for Reagor to catch the ball and have room to gain the first down. Here is the thing, the play worked and the rookie wideout got open. However, the timing on these plays needs to be spot on, and in this instance it was not.

The ball was delivered late, and one of the many failed third down conversions was in the books. Later on in another big spot, fourth and ten to be exact, Wentz decided to throw a “fade” route to Reagor against the Giants’ best defensive back James Bradberry. The play never had much of a chance, as Bradberry was all over it, and the ball very predictably fell incomplete.

In their matchup before the bye week, Reagor returned from the thumb injury he was suffering from, and caught an early touchdown in that game. While his end stat line was nothing crazy, as he only had three catches for 16 yards, it is nice to see Carson continue to look his way in big spots. This shows the trust that the team already has in the rookie out of TCU.

As this mess of a season continues to progress, the Philadelphia Eagles need to continue to peg Reagor as a key component of the offense. In his short time on the field in midnight green, he has shown that he does possess ability to get open, and should continue to be relied upon in big situations.

Again, I stress this guy is just 21 years old, so the more reps he continues to get as well and the more comfortable he gets, it should only equate to more and more production. While it has become clear the Birds may have made another mistake when they passed on Jefferson, this is nothing like the Whiteside/Metcalf conversation. Reagor actually possesses a ton of skill, and he should be making plays in midnight green for many years to come.