Zach Pascal Makes Sense for Many Reasons

The free-agent WR gives the Eagles insurance if they want to draft injured Alabama star Jameson Williams, but is much more than just that

PHILADELPHIA – Zach Pascal may not have moved the excitement needle much when the Eagles signed him earlier this week.

He’s not the flashy name fans may have wanted.

Pascal, though, is plenty of things that make sense for the Eagles.

He is a competent pass-catcher, run blocker, and judging from his introductory news conference on Thursday, a likable person. That, of course, doesn’t mean much when it comes to winning games, but GM Howie Roseman has talked about finding players who are, in his words, “good people.”

Perhaps the most important thing that Pascal brings is insurance.

If the Eagles want to draft the talented Alabama star, Jameson Williams, Pascal allows them to do it because he can take snaps while Williams rehabs from a torn ACL suffered in the national title game. It’s an injury that will likely keep Williams in rehab until at least October, perhaps even November.

There’s more, so instead of focusing on what Pascal isn’t, here’s else he is:

A touchdown maker. He has 15 in four seasons, including back-to-back five TD seasons when Nick Sirianni was the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis.

“I guess just having fun playing the game,” said Pascal when asked by SI.com Eagles Today why he is good at finding the end zone. “Nick puts guys in great positions to succeed, and if he sees me like a red-zone target, I can go in and get a couple of routes in the red zone and do whatever is asked of me. 

"I’m just always ready to face the adversity and challenge in front of me. Finding the end zone 15 times, God bless. But let’s see if we can get 15 times in one year.”

An upgrade over J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and maybe Jalen Reagor, too. One check of the numbers and it’s easy to see that.

Start with the TDs. Arcega-Whiteside has one in 40 games. Reagor has three in 28 games. Pascal has 15 in 64 games.

Then there are catches and yards. Pascal has 150 catches and 1,888 yards receiving to JJAW’s 16-290 and Reagor’s 64-695.

Obviously, Arcega-Whiteside has played 24 fewer games but isn't on a trajectory to surpass what Pascal has done. 

Reagor has played 36 fewer games than Pascal, but he needs to have a couple of big seasons to get by the Eagles' free agent.

A survivor. He went undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2017 and was signed by Washington. He was cut out of training camp. 

Days later, Tennessee added him to its practice squad then, on Sept. 20, 2017, promoted him to the active roster. That didn’t last long. Three days later, he was cut.

That’s when he joined the Colts and experienced success.

“I’m going to grind it out, regardless of the situation,” he said. “It helps me mentally. I take that in life. I’m about to have a daughter in a couple of days. There are going to be things that come up in life where she’s going to look at me, and I might have to face it and make sure things are OK. I accept all challenges, and I think that has helped me come a long way.”

Inexpensive. With $36 million in dead money still on the books, the Eagles need cheap labor and Pascal is that. His deal is for one year at $1.5M.

“I entered free agency just trying to get better at my craft,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was going, where I wanted to go, but hearing from Nick, talking to Nick, and just the conversations we had, I’m excited to be here, I’m excited to be in Philly, I’m excited to get to work and help this team any way we can.”

MORE: The Competitive Connection Between Zach Pascal and Nick Sirianni

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.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.