Justin Jefferson mistake is destroying the Eagles front office

The Eagles are already regretting passing on Justin Jefferson.

Justin Jefferson is in the discussion for Offensive Rookie of the Year amid a stellar first season in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings, with his rapid progress reportedly causing tension in the front office of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles passed on Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting Jalen Reagor with the 21st overall pick before the Vikings picked Jefferson immediately after.

Jefferson demonstrated significant potential as a route-runner in his time at LSU but the Eagles’ likely thinking behind taking Reagor was understandable. He offered them a deep threat that was sorely lacking in 2019 as well as upside with the ball in his hands in the open field.

Jefferson has outplayed Reagor in every facet

While Reagor has put up just 222 yards and a touchdown in a year hindered by injury, Jefferson is on pace to easily surpass the 1,000-yard mark. He has 918 yards and six touchdowns, his rapport with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins helping keep Minnesota’s playoff hopes alive.

And, per John Clayton of ESPN (h/t Heavy.com), the production he has delivered has led to an ” internal rift” within the Eagles organization, with some members of the front office having wanted to select Jefferson ahead of former TCU star Reagor.

Whether Jefferson’s presence would have made much of a difference given the well-documented struggles of Carson Wentz and a banged-up and aging offensive line is open for debate.

Yet Jefferson’s route-running craft and ability to create separation would likely have made life a lot easier on Wentz, who has had to lean a former sixth-round pick Travis Fulgham for the limited offensive success Philadelphia has been able to engineer.

Given his evident decline, Wentz may not be salvageable but, for him to prosper in 2020, the Eagles needed to put him in the best position to succeed. By drafting Reagor over Jefferson, they failed to do so and it appears that sections of the front office recognize this.