Philadelphia Eagles: JJ Arcega-Whiteside is weirdly built for Nick Sirianni’s offense

JJ Arcega-Whiteside – does any other wide receiver’s name generate such immediate disdain among the Philadelphia Eagles fanbase?

Seriously, I’m genuinely asking.

Sure, names like Josh Huff, Miles Auston, Riley Cooper, and Freddie Mitchell all come to mind, but these players at least have a few fans and aren’t as vitriolically dispised as the 57th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

"“He’s a bum, a bust. He doesn’t try when he’s on the field, couldn’t even get on the field because he had trouble learning the Eagles’ playbook, and even had his mom hold an umbrella for him in training camp in a now-infamous picture that will surely haunt him forever. I swear, I swear, I swear, how Howie Roseman thought drafting that guy over DK Metcalf is a decision that I will never understand. Honestly, if I had my way, I’d have Roseman drive him to the airport and the duo would take a one-way redeye out of PHL back to Stanford where he belongs.”"

Pretty spot on, right? When you’re around Philadelphia Eagles fans as much as yours truly, you’re going to hear everyone this side of Asbury Park confess their grievances with the big-bodied former Cardinal who “transforms into a power forward in the endzone.”

Sorry, last semi-quote, I swear.

So naturally, with a new coaching staff inbound and many a fan hoping for nothing more than a wide receiver neatly packaged under the first-round draft day Christmas tree, the days of watching number 19 helmet-less on the sidelines are surely about to come to an end, right – that is, unless Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith, or maybe even both want to wear the number on their jersey come summer. Who knows, maybe it’ll even be kelly green by then.

Maybe, but hey, you never know.

Can JJ Arcega-Whiteside be the Philadelphia Eagles’ answer to Michael Pittman?

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During his three-year tenure with the Indianapolis Colts, landing a big-bodied wide receiver capable of hauling in 50-50 balls was a bit of a white whale for Frank Reich, Nick Sirianni, and company.

Call it a natural fascination after having Alshon Jeffery haul in passes in-route to his Super Bowl victory, but the Colts’ offense – which has been generally more balanced than any Doug Pederson has trotted out in some time – has been on the lookout for a big-bodied ‘X’ receiver to pair up with T.Y. Hilton for some time now – and believe me, they’ve been looking.

From Zach Pascal to Devin Funchess and most recently Michael Pittman Jr., the Colts have consistently been on the lookout for bigger wide receivers with inside-out versatility who can fight through press, attack the middle of the field versus zone coverage, and run under routes as a safety valve on flood concepts.

The Colts have also steadily employed an athletic ‘joker’ tight end under Reich – Eric Ebron, Trey Burton, Mo Alie-Cox – who they move around the field and utilize as both a receiving threat and as a down-field blocker on outside zones and screen passes.

Why is this all relevant to JJ Arcega-Whiteside? Well, because he can do a little bit of all of that and do so better than pretty much any other receiver on the roster right now.

Now sure, if you’re looking for a prototypical tall ‘X’ receiver who can run prototypical ‘X’ receiver plays or even move around the field like vintage Jeremy Maclin, most would likely look to Travis Fulgham, but in the Colts’ scheme, that isn’t the case. No, even down to his unlikely path to the starting lineup, Fulgham is far more stylistically similar to Pascal – who the Colts use as a swiss-army knife – than a prototypical ‘X’ receiver.

I mean, come on, Pascal and Fulgham are the same height, are billed at one pound apart, and literally went to the same college (Old Dominion). While Fulgham was a more in-demand prospect coming out of college, he was drafted in the sixth round after all, so it’s not outside the realm of possibility to imagine Philly’s favorite eggnog aficionado excelling in a similar role – playing roughly 76 percent of the team’s offensive snaps while averaging roughly four targets a game.

No, in 2020, that prototypical ‘X’ receiver was Pittman, who was often compared to Arcega-Whiteside during the pre-draft process.

Heck, they both even go by abbreviations – JJAW and MPJ – which is a serendipitous occurrence you just can’t make up.

Like Arcega-Whiteside, Pittman is a big Pac-12 product who did a ton of damage in the

paint

endzone during his very successful college career. He could win against press, win against off-coverage, and run a near-complete route tree save maybe game-breaking go-routes over the top.

Both were touted for their possession abilities coming out of college, as well as their functional strength, and were even given the label of “contested-catch specialists.”

And honestly, if JJAW can just put up comparable numbers to MPJ in his first season under

Reich

Sirianni – 40 catches on 61 targets for 503 yards – it’ll go a long way to finding a long-term home for the former second-round pick.

Now before you go all “bust” on me in the comments section, remember, Arcega-Whiteside’s draft capital is sunk. The Eagles will never get a second-round pick back for his services and may ultimately waive him as soon as this summer without so much as a compensatory pick coming their way. Setting the bar for JJAW’s success as a WR-2-level performer simply isn’t realistic anymore, but finding a way to get the talented Stanford product involved in both the passing and run blocking game is paramount for a new head coach who came up as a wide receiver coach.

Remember, Arcega-White is only two years removed from a game versus San Diego State where he put up 226 yards and three touchdowns on only six catches (watch the highlights here) – that player is still here and can be productive in spurts if utilized correctly.

Have you heard of a deep ball specialist? A player like Shelton Gibson or Chris Givins who comes into a game to provide speed on the outside and stretch out a defense? Think of JJAW as a possession specialist – at least at first. While he may not start out the summer/season with the first team – especially if Chase/Smith is on the team – he could be cycled in when the Eagles need a bigger receiver to bully up on a smaller DB or as a crossing/slant specialist where touches can be manufactured on his inside shoulder away.

Get JJAW going on a few of those, and highlight-reel-level acrobatic catches will surely follow. It took Pittman five games to average double-digit yards per reception over the course of a full game, and he only averaged 12.6 YPR on the season with the Colts – which is actually noticeably lower than JJAW’s 18.1 YPR career average with the Eagles.

No, JJAW’s biggest issue really isn’t a lack of talent. It’s not even really his sub-50 percent catch percentage – though you’d really like to see that get into the mid-60s. Ultimately, the 24-year-old’s biggest issue through the first two years of his professional career is playing in an offense that seemingly disregarded a player’s strengths in favor of a weird homogeneity.

I mean, think about it, has there ever really been an Eagles receiver who had a breakout season under Doug Pederson? Nelson Agholor maybe, but he struggled so much in 2019 that he signed a minimum-level deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. No matter how you slice it, that offense just wasn’t built for success.

For all of the slack JJAW receives – rightfully or wrongly – he’s still a talented young receiver who could conceivably have a long and successful career if he gets his game right.

If Nick Sirianni really is a wide receiver whisperer capable of crafting an explosive offensive identity, finding a way to transform JJ Arcega-Whiteside from an underachiever to a viable cog in a thriving, chain-moving machine would be a solid flex. With Alshon Jeffery all but certainly a cap casualty and a true ‘X’ wide receiver coming the Philadelphia Eagles’ way in the first round, there is a clear path for JJAW to shock the world, make the 53 man roster, and maybe even contribute as the outside receiver Howie Roseman – and the Colts offense – always wanted. And hey, if not, play the big-bodied bruiser in a hybrid receiver/joker role a la Trey Burton or Mo Alie-Cox and allow him to bully smaller inside cornerbacks both in the running and passing game.