Getty DeSean Jackson and Nelson Agholor celebrate after a touchdown in the Eagles 32-27 win.
The Eagles may be without injured wide receiver DeSean Jackson for a few more weeks. Jackson, who is nursing a sore abdomen, likely won’t return until Oct. 20.
Jackson hasn’t seen any game action or taken any practice reps since walking off the field in Atlanta on Sept. 15. There has been much speculation over the past several weeks that the team’s deep threat was considering surgery to fix a possible sports hernia. While that has never been confirmed, it is now being reported that Jackson won’t be back for two more weeks when the Eagles face the Cowboys in Dallas. The updated timeline was first reported by NBC Sports’ John Clark.
Sources say it’s more likely DeSean Jackson returns for Cowboys game or later than this Sunday at Vikings
Jackson has been quiet on the matter, but he has been posting motivational quotes to his Instagram page. His most recent one included the injured receiver saying “Minor set bac for a major come bac !!”
Nelson Agholor Sees Diminished Role in Offense
It’s been a crazy few weeks for Nelson Agholor and it looks like the sometimes reliable slot receiver might be getting phased out of the offense. One week after Agholor registered zero catches, the struggling receiver was targeted only three times in the Eagles’ 31-6 win. Agholor hauled in one reception for 20 yards and dropped the ball as he was forced out of bounds on that lone grab.
Quarterback Carson Wentz targeted seven different receivers Sunday, including a team-high eight targets to Alshon Jeffery. He finished with six catches for 52 yards. Wentz finally got tight end Zach Ertz involved in the offense after hitting him on an 11-yard touchdown strike. Jeffery paced all receivers with 63 offensive snaps, while third-year receiver Mack Hollins saw 31 snaps on the day. Agholor had 61 snaps, with rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside seeing two snaps.
Darren Sproles Moves Up All-Time List
Eagles utility back Darren Sproles saw increased usage Sunday against the Jets. He carried the football three times for four yards while seeing one target out of the backfield that he dropped. To be fair, Carson Wentz’s pass was a bit too high for the diminutive running back. Sproles was the primary punt returner against the Jets and moved into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list for all-purpose yards when he busted a return for 16 yards.
Sproles finished the game with 32 all-purpose yards to surpass Tim Brown and now sits 1,880 yards away from Emmitt Smith. The 14-year veteran has accumulated 19,684 all-purpose yards in a storied career that has seen stops in San Diego, New Orleans and Philadelphia.
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