Alshon Jeffery Blamed for Stunting Growth of Young Eagles WR

Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em Wide Receivers Week 7

Getty Travis Fulgham #13 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs against Marcus Peters #24 of the Baltimore Ravens during the second quarter.

No one would ever deny the veteran leadership Alshon Jeffery brought to the Philadelphia Eagles’ locker room for four seasons. Several young wide receivers credited the Super Bowl champion for showing them how to be professional athletes, on and off the field.

But Jeffery’s return to the lineup last season in mid-November forced burgeoning star Travis Fulgham back to the bench. The reason for his demotion has long been rumored, but never quite confirmed. Until now. On Wednesday, Fulgham finally admitted that Jeffery stole his role over the final seven games. He wasn’t upset about the switch and never thought to question the coaching staff.

“Alshon came back healthy and that was his spot so I kind of just went back into my old role, I guess,” Fulgham said. “It was rough, but this is a team sport, I can’t be selfish.”

Did he ask why Jeffery was getting those extra snaps? (For the record, Fulgham saw more targets than Jeffery — 23 versus 13 — over that seven-game span).

“That’s not my job to question coaches,” Fulgham said.

Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson blamed it on sloppy practices. And the sixth-round pick out of Old Dominion wasn’t adjusting properly when opposing defenses shaded over to his side. Fulgham didn’t refute either critique. It’s something he’s been hard at work at in the lab this summer. All of those trials and tribulations from 2020 have “absolutely” motivated him.

“I learned a lot from the good, the bad, and the ugly,” Fulgham said. “I’m ready [this year]. If they want to throw me the ball 10 times a game, I’m ready to do that.”

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J.J. Arcega-Whiteside Going Back to Campus

J.J. Arcega-Whiteside knows he’s underachieved in his first two NFL seasons. Second-round picks are supposed to compete for starting spots, not fade into the background with 14 total receptions. So the former Stanford star looked at himself in the mirror and made a change this offseason.

Arcega-Whiteside decided to focus on “being great at the things that require no talent,” an old mantra from his college days. Examples of those things include: blocking, running a guy off to get your teammate open, picking up your teammate when he gets hit so he has more energy, celebrating with your teammates. It’s all about perfecting the little things instead of everything.

“Biggest thing for me is just being myself,” Arcega-Whiteside said. “I feel like in the past I’ve been trying to be a lot at once … showing I can do this, showing I can do that, proving this and that.

“So just going back to the basics, going back to what helped me out in college, and that’s being great at the things that require no talent and letting the talent take over when it’s time for the talent to take over. Not the opposite, trying to show everyone how talented I am.”

Interesting philosophy. Arcega-Whiteside added that he did a lot of “self-reflection,” including calling up his strength coach at Stanford for tips. They worked out a plan to get him back into what made him so successful in college.

“My college coach told me this, ‘You never stay the same, you either get worse or you get better’ and I took that to the next step by saying, ‘Well, how do I get better every day?'”

Getting one-percent better every day is the slogan at Eagles’ training camp. And Arcega-Whiteside has been working as the slot receiver in certain sets.

“I like the move especially because you get a little taste of every position, inside, outside — and with the new coaching staff, they want to see where guys can shine in different positions and that’s a good thing because if you’re never willing to go inside you never know if you’re good at it or not. So far I’ve been real comfortable there.”


Eagles Make Minor Roster Moves

Philadelphia activated safety Andrew Adams from the Reserve/COVID-19 list prior to Wednesday’s practice. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers reserve got meaningful reps with Rodney McLeod out (PUP). The Eagles also waived journeyman cornerback Nate Meadors in another minor move.

Eagles veterans (players 30 years old or over) had the day off for maintenance/rest. That group included Darius Slay, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Jason Kelce, Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson. Rookie receiver DeVonta Smith was out again with a knee sprain but joined his teammates on the practice field.

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