Philadelphia Eagles: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside making case for playing time
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is said to be making a case for playing time as a rookie, even on a Philadelphia Eagles team seen as one of the deepest in the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles have no reason to rush J.J. Arcega-Whiteside into significant action as a rookie, but heading into training camp reports suggest he may be forcing their hand.
Arcega-Whiteside, selected with the 57th overall pick by the Eagles, is set to be behind the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and DeSean Jackson on the depth chart and, with Philadelphia also possessing two extremely talented tight ends in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, it would be no surprise if targets were hard to come by for him in his first year.
However, NJ.com’s Mike Kaye wrote in his Eagles training camp preview that Arcega-Whiteside has “made a major case for playing time during the offseason program”.
Kaye adds that Arcega-Whiteside has at times bullied defensive backs with his leaping ability and has been a clear mismatch with his size and strength.
That Arcega-Whiteside is flourishing going up for the ball should not come as a shock. He dominated in the red zone at Stanford with his skills as a high-pointer of the football and propensity for boxing out defenders.
His success in practice for the Eagles may lead to him carving out a role as a red zone target as a rookie, but down the line he has the potential to become a much more substantial part of the passing attack.
Possessing underrated agility and deceptive speed, Arcega-Whiteside is a clear candidate to eventually usurp Jeffery as the No.1 receiver for the Eagles.
Jeffery is not a free agent until 2022 but the Eagles can save $10.025million in 2020 or $13m in 2021 — by which point he will be 31 — by parting ways with the former Chicago Bear, according to Over The Cap.
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It is of course still very early days and Arcega-Whiteside still has to prove he can do it with the pads on. That has not been a problem in the past, however, and history tells us he should continue to excel and threaten to take snaps away from the veterans in the Eagles’ receiving corps.