Getty Eagles WR DeSean Jackson re-injured a core muscle issue Sunday and will undergo surgery to repair it.
The Eagles are counting on a healthy DeSean Jackson to stretch the field in 2020. Whether they add a speedy receiver in the draft is irrelevant. They need No. 10.
Jackson, who underwent surgery to repair a core muscle issue, has been working his tail off to get back since going under the knife on Nov. 5. On Thursday, the 33-year-old posted an Instagram video showing him doing pushups and bicycle kicks, along with other core-testing exercises, and doing them virtually pain-free.
While the Eagles called Jackson’s ailment a “core muscle injury,” it was widely speculated to be a dreaded sports hernia and noted sports hernia specialist William Meyers performed the procedure. Sports hernias can take anywhere from a few weeks to six months to recover from.
Jackson’s camp had been hoping for the quickest outcome and even targeted a return on Jan. 11 for a possible divisional playoff game. The Eagles lost to the Seahawks in the wild-card round so that bridge was never crossed. Either way, the redemption tour looks to be back on track and ready to light up secondaries next season. Credit Jackson’s extreme work ethic.
“Continuously taking steps to put myself in the best position, to be 100 percent — and even better than that, 110 percent,” Jackson told reporters on Dec. 17.
The Eagles are roughly three months away from spring practices and five months away from the start of training camp. The clock is ticking.
Jackson Leads NFL in Deep Yardage for Past Decade
DeSean Jackson’s speed is uncoachable. It’s just a rare gift that he was born with and has maximized during his 12-year NFL career.
Jackson has been the league’s top deep threat since 2010 after racking up 3,872 deep receiving yards — defined as yards gained on receptions of 20-plus air yards — and he’s more than 300 yards ahead of the closest challenger.
Jackson also ranks 41st in NFL history with 10,420 receiving yards, plus 10th in yards per catch at 17.4. More impressively, the burner has led the league in yards per catch on four different occasions (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018).
And his 31 career touchdowns of 50 or more yards is the second-most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice’s 36, per NBC Sports Philadelphia stats guru Reuben Frank.
Even at age 33, Jackson doesn’t feel like he’s lost a step. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds at the 2008 NFL Combine and thinks he could do it faster today. He was clocked at 21.4 miles per hour last season in Week 1 against Washington. Jackson has often joked about his speed.
“I’ll bet against anybody. I know they got the fastest 40-time thing, but my focus is being here and training with my teammates,” Jackson told Dave Uram of 94WIP SportsRadio last May. “I feel like I am (the fastest), so whoever want it … let’s get it.”
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