Getty Justin Jefferson #18 of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.
The two names that may haunt the Philadelphia Eagles forever are DK Metcalf and Justin Jefferson. They are two of the best receivers in the NFL right now and showing no signs of slowing down. The franchise decided not to draft either one while opting for more explosive/developmental players in J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Jalen Reagor.
Time will tell which choices were the right ones. Arcega-Whiteside looks like a bust through 23 games — 12 catches for 214 yards — while Reagor has been saddled with injuries in his rookie year. The Texas Christian burner has flashed promise in six games — 19 catches for 222 yards — but needs to stay healthy. Meanwhile, Eagles fans and the national media are running with the narrative that Philly’s front office whiffed.
The latest to enter into the never-ending debate was NFL Insider John Clayton who jumped on a recent Washington Post podcast to discuss the issue. He cited an “internal rift” inside the Eagles organization, saying some wanted to draft Jefferson over Reagor but it didn’t turn out that way.
“They’ve done a terrible job as far as drafting wide receivers,” Clayton said. “I was even hearing last week that’s there been internal rifts about drafting Jefferson versus Reagor with some wanting Jefferson, and Jefferson being one of the best rookies in the league this year and Reagor just starting to come around but not doing well.”
Clayton never name-dropped which executives were on the Jefferson side versus on the Reagor side. Perhaps Doug Pederson had a voice in that conversation? Nobody knows for sure. What we do know for sure is that things aren’t going well in Philadelphia right now and changes might be on the horizon.
“I think you have to put Doug Pederson, Howie Roseman, other people under scrutiny right now,” Clayton said. “You know Carson Wentz’s contract is almost going to be impossible to try and break so he is going to be there … but what you see is Carson Wentz looks terrible and Doug Pederson looks lost in the play-calling.”
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Pederson Giving Up the Play-Calling Duties?
Speaking of Pederson’s play-calling duties, the head coach admitted to possibly giving them up if he ever “got in a rut.” Well, considering the Eagles rank sixth-worst in the NFL in passing yards (2,270) and passing yards-per-game (206.4), while leading the league in sacks (46) and interceptions (15). It’s probably time.
Time to let a fresh voice take over the gameplan or at least put fresh eyes on it. It’s something that Andy Reid did in Kansas City when he was struggling early on with Alex Smith. Guess who took over the play-calling duties then? None other than Pederson.
“I take pride in play calling and I look at everything. I got to take everything into consideration,” Pederson told reporters on Monday. “If I feel like I get stuck or in a rut, I definitely would consider giving that up. So, it’s definitely on the table.”
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