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Philadelphia Eagles: 5 players who must improve

By Rucker Haringey

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates the 11-yard touchdown catch of teammate Zach Ertz #86 during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriotsin Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates the 11-yard touchdown catch of teammate Zach Ertz #86 during the fourth quarter against the New England Patriotsin Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after a 34-yard touchdown catch against the New England Patriots during the first quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – FEBRUARY 04: Alshon Jeffery #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates after a 34-yard touchdown catch against the New England Patriots during the first quarter in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

1. Alshon Jeffery

When the Eagles made the decision to hand Jeffery a four-year, $52 million contract it’s clear they intended for him to be their number one wide receiver. Jeffery didn’t give his team that type of production last year.

His receiving total of 789 yards was actually his lowest total since his rookie year. It wasn’t due to a lack of targets either. Jeffery was targeted 120 times but only managed to come down with 57 receptions.

The former South Carolina star is never going to lead the league in catch efficiency. He is a big play guy who makes tough catches in traffic. He still needs to improve his efficiency though. Jeffery cannot be a number one wide receiver in the NFL if he’s coming down with catches on less than 50% of his targets.

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Philadelphia isn’t going to move on from Alshon Jeffery if he doesn’t take a step forward this season, but it may cause the team to rethink his role moving forward. He’d be well-advised to step his game up this year to prove he can be a number one wideout. If he doesn’t, the team’s front office may be forced to try to find a Pro Bowl wide receiver elsewhere next summer.

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