The Philadelphia Eagles' offense had already experienced its share of injuries and struggles through the first two games of the season, but things are only going to get harder for Carson Wentz and Co.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Eagles rookie wideout Jalen Reagor is likely going to be placed on injured reserve after he suffered a UCL tear in his thumb.
The #Eagles are expected to place rookie WR Jalen Reagor on Injured Reserve with a UCL tear, source said. Not a surprise, given the amount of time he’ll miss. But he’ll be back for the second half of the season (or earlier).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 23, 2020
The Eagles' first-round pick played through the injury during a Week 2 loss to the Rams, but will take some time to heal up and recover for a possible second-half return.
Reagor displayed some of the explosiveness that made him such an attractive prospect this past April. He hauled in a 55-yard reception in the opener against the Washington Football Team and also had four receptions for 41 yards against the Rams.
However, the rookie had also struggled to get in sync with Wentz at times, especially in Week 1 (via Michael Lombardi of The Athletic):
At the end of the half against Washington, Reagor ran an out from a tight split, did not burst off the ball, and allowed corner Jimmy Moreland to get a bead on the ball. Now, Wentz made a poor throw, too close to the inside shoulder, but the route was just as bad. When an offense aligns on the far hash mark, with a receiver in a tight split, the defense suspects an out route. When the receiver does not sell the vertical part of the route, bad things happen. And they did.
Of course, mistakes are to be expected from rookie receivers, and Reagor did nab all four of his targets against Los Angeles.
Moreover, the injury robs the former TCU star of the opportunity to grow in Doug Pederson's offensive system. It also means Wentz will need to lean more heavily on veteran wideout DeSean Jackson, as well as tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert.
The Eagles' already-shallow receiving corps has been depleted further with the loss of Reagor. Philly's offense needs to find playmakers in the coming weeks to avoid a losing skid.
Follow Us
Subscribe