With Eagles' Depth at Receiver, It's Time to Trade Jalen Reagor

The forme first-round pick has gone about his business without becoming a distaraction and needs a change of scenery, and how that move could impact the 53-man roster

USA Today

It’s time for the Eagles to trade Jalen Reagor, to give the 23-year-old former first-round draft pick the fresh start he needs.

If this summer has revealed anything, the Eagles now have enough depth at the receiver position, after trading for A.J. Brown and signing Zach Pascal, that they could part with him and not miss a beat.

To his credit, Reagor has put together a solid summer, and in Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns, he demonstrated again that he is a willing blocker in the run game while catching a pair of passes for 17 yards.

Despite tumbling down the depth chart, the 21st overall pick from the 2020 draft has not become a distraction. He continues to do what is asked, without sulking, without pouting, and without feeling sorry for himself.

"I think the big thing with Jalen is from two years ago to last year to now mentally he's in such a better space,” said WR coach Aaron Moorehead. “...Like every guy in this room, he has a responsibility to be a pro, and being a pro is knowing your role and understanding that that role changes. … He's done everything we've asked him to do.”

Still, it’s time for GM Howie Roseman to make it happen.

The Eagles have receivers that could make the team as the No. 5 behind the obvious foursome of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Zach Pascal.

If Reagor is dealt, five receivers will probably be what they keep on the 53-man roster, especially given the logjam that exists at tight end, where maybe they could keep four – Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, and Noah Togiai.

It almost feels certain that three running backs are all that will make the final roster with as many as 10 keepers on an offensive line that is deep.

If Reagor is dealt, Greg Ward may be back in play as the fifth WR kept.

Though he hasn’t practiced for two weeks with a toe injury, he has a body of work to lean on. He is dependable as a punt returner, though not much of a threat to do much after the catch. Returning punt, however, is probably a prerequisite for a No. 5 receiver.

Britain Covey excelled early in camp, but the undrafted free agent doesn’t look like the same player he was since suffering a thumb injury in the preseason opener vs. the New York Jets. He had four targets with one catch against the Browns while playing 36 offensive snaps (49 percent) and just three on special teams.

He would likely be an upgrade as a punt returner over Ward, but maybe the Eagles aren’t ready to go there, yet.

Meanwhile, Deon Cain and Devon Allen made a strong case on Sunday that they could be WR No. 5.

Devon Allen hauls in a 55-yard TD catch that stood up as the game-winner in the Eagles' 21-20 victory over the Browns in the preseason / USA Today

Until Sunday’s 55-yard catch, Allen hadn’t done much of anything this summer, except learn and wait for a chance like the one he got late in the third quarter against the Browns.

He flashed the speed that made him a world-class hurdler, vaporizing two Cleveland defenders. It was more than his quickness on display. He needed to use full acceleration to catch up to the ball, extended his body, and flew through the air to haul in the catch.

It was eye-opening, to say the least, but is it possible to win a job with that one catch alone?

“I think it’s hard to do what Devon’s done,” said head coach Nick Sirianni. “He hasn’t played football in a while and he’s getting into it. He’s getting into the groove. There’s no denying, OK, he hasn’t played football in five years, but the whole time we thought he was really fast, and he is.”

Cain has looked like the best receiver of that so-called second-tier group of pass-catchers all summer, and on Sunday that manifested itself with five catches on seven targets for 66 yards, including a dandy down the right sideline that went for 24 yards in the second quarter. 

Gardner Minshew followed that up by going right back to home on the very next play for 23 more yards.

Cain spent time on the practice squad last year and has some chemistry with Minshew.

“Me and Deon, we had a lot of experience on the scout team last year,” said Minshew. “I have a ton of confidence in him, man.

“He just plays the ball really well in the air. If you put it in the right spot, you can trust him to hold the guy off and make the play."

Cain played the third most snaps of any skill player with 41 (55 percent) on Sunday, behind Minshew’s 46 and Togiai’s 44.

What neither Allen nor Cain do is play much special teams. Cain got four snaps against the Browns while Allen had just two. 

That won’t help their case to make the roster, and perhaps that fifth WR isn't on the team, yet, and will be signed after final cuts are made on Aug. 30.

Everything, though, hinges on whether or not Roseman gives Reagor the trade of scenery he needs.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.