Eagles think DeSean Jackson has finally come of age
DeSean Jackson isn’t the same person he was when he first left Philadelphia and the Eagles front office is happy to see his newfound maturity.
The Eagles would love to turn back the clock on DeSean Jackson’s physical gifts, but they have no interest in seeing him revert to his previous emotional form. The team’s front office is happy to see a more mature wideout returning to the City of Brotherly Love.
Top Eagles executive Howie Roseman doesn’t make any secret of his appreciation for how Jackson’s personality has changed. He specifically points to the fact that Jackson is now a father of two children as a signal of just how far he’s grown since his first stop with the team. Roseman recently told reporters that “all of us need time to mature” when referencing Jackson’s involvement in each day of the Eagles’ offseason programming.
That maturity should help make Jackson a more steady presence in the Philadelphia locker room, but the Eagles can use a bit of his mercurial nature on the field. They reacquired Jackson because he still has the ability to torch opposing defenses with his speed down the field. He only caught 41 balls in 12 games for the Buccaneers last season, but he did average an impressive 18.9 yards per catch.
The one member of the Eagles organization who shouldn’t be pleased to see Jackson return is Nelson Agholor. He is the receiver who projects to lose the most playing time in 2019. Agholor caught 64 passes last season, but he only managed to produce 11.5 yards per catch. No opposing defensive coordinators lost sleep last year worried about what Agholor might do to torment their secondary.
Of course, Jackson will need to work hard to develop an early rapport with Carson Wentz to increase the quarterback’s comfort level with his new receiver. It’s one thing to see Jackson play on tape, but his intense speed requires time for a quarterback to understand. The fact that Jackson is fully committed to the Eagles preseason program should help ease his transition into Doug Pederson’s offense.
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Eagles fans and fantasy football players should keep a close eye on how Jackson looks in the preseason. He wants to rejuvenate his career in the place where it all began. That could lead to a big season for the diminutive wide receiver as well as the end of Agholor’s time in Philadelphia.