Eagles WR DeSean Jackson to make his return in grudge match against Cowboys

Eagles DeSean jackson
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 22: Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver DeSean Jackson (10) walks off the field in the first half during the game between the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles on October 22, 2020 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Eagles will be activating veteran wideout DeSean Jackson in anticipation of his return this Sunday. He will indeed play against the Dallas Cowboys after rejoining his teammates in practice this week.

After a tumultuous offseason, DeSean Jackson suffered a head injury when fielding a punt against the Giants in week 7. During the hit, he injured his leg and was assisted off the field by trainers before putting a picture on his story of a walking boot. The full extent of the injury was later revealed and it would be one that eventually rip Jackson of another string of games.

Jackson has not been able to stay healthy during his second tenure with the birds, having played just 224 snaps out of a possible 1,737 snaps at the time of his injury.

In 4 games this season, DeSean Jackson had racked up 155 yards on 13 receptions, averaging 11.9 yards per catch. It was clear that the former second-round pick still had some gas in the Tank, but just how much is the real question after yet another setback.

There’s no questioning that D-Jax still has game-breaking speed and he could’ve had a couple of home-run hits early on had Wentz not missed the open throw. The real concern now is whether or not he will eat into the snaps of first-round pick Jalen Reagor, who is beginning to find his feet as a rookie wideout.

We saw something similar with Alshon Jeffery’s return somewhat stagnating Travis Fulgham’s role after previously blowing up the league over a four-week stretch. Jackson does have the versatility to move inside, but that would come at the expense of Greg Ward. It’s likely that the Eagles could field both D-Jax and Reagor at the same time and go all-out on trying to bait defenses into carrying the wideouts deep, opening up the intermediate area of the field for a scrambling wonder in Jalen Hurts.

These could well be the last couple of weeks we get to see DeSean Jackson in an Eagles jersey due to his age, durability, and contract. Hopefully, he can go out with a bang and leave fans with a positive memory as opposed to one of injury heartbreak that has plagued his return up to this point.

Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire