Alshon Jeffery was sorely missed during last Thursday night’s game against the Falcons, and that was clear from the opening snap. The Birds’ wideouts were only able to muster up 43 yards of offense, and 33 of those yards came from Nelson Agholor.
The Eagles front office has clearly noticed that they need help at wideout, over the past couple days they’ve gone out and signed Braxton Miller to the practice squad and have former Ravens’ first round pick, Breshad Perriman, scheduled for a workout. Former Browns and Bills wide out, Corey Coleman, was also scheduled for a workout but the Patriots were able to sign him to a deal before the Eagles could get a look at him.
The timetable for Alshon’s return hasn’t been specified by anyone yet, which leads me to believe he may be out for a bit longer than expected. The fact that he was able to dodge the PUP List at the start of the season was a good sign, but that doesn’t guarantee he’ll be back any sooner.
What is starting to become clear though, is Wentz’s return to the lineup, which changes the whole dynamic of the offense. ESPN’s, Chris Mortenson, appeared on Sunday Night Countdown this past weekend and stated that the Eagles haven’t ruled out a week 2 return for Wentz.
“There is much more optimism that prevails than pessimism,” said Mortensen. “He hasn’t been ruled out for Week 2, (but) he hasn’t been cleared. I think that the organizational sources I’ve spoken with say they wouldn’t be surprised if he’s ready for Week 3.”
It was also reported today that Wentz has a medical appointment Friday and he’s expected to be cleared for contact. Because the appointment is coming so late in the week, it’s unlikely he’ll play against Tampa on Sunday. But expect him to begin full contact practice the Tuesday after the Tampa trip.
If this report is accurate, and Wentz is able to return by week 3 or 4, then the concern at wide receiver diminishes significantly. Wentz elevates the play of others around him, while it’s usually reversed when Foles is under center.
Even if Wentz is without Jeffery for a week or two, I doubt it’ll be as obvious as it was in week 1 with Foles at the helm.
There is an abundance of weapons on this offense and at times Foles fails to use those weapons to the best of their ability. He’s is one of the most unpredictable quarterbacks I’ve ever watched, so maybe next week against the Bucs he lights it up and makes me look like an idiot for even questioning his skill.
If Foles was slated to be the starter for an extended period of time, I would be all for bringing in wide receiver help. But as of now, it looks like Foles is only going to be the starter for another week or two.