Alshon Jeffery can give Eagles offense a boost in Nashville

What a difference Alshon can make if indeed the reports are true he is medically cleared to play against the Titans this Sunday.

It can free up so many other options on offense. Nelson Agholor can go back to his most effective role in the slot in some formations, or flank out wide opposite Jeffery. Different looks on offense will be easier to achieve.

“Alshon’s doing well,” coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s cleared. We’re excited to get him in the mix and see where he’s at.”

Zach Berman’s analysis: “Jeffery, who is the Eagles’ No. 1 wide receiver, finished with 57 catches for 789 yards and nine touchdowns last season. That’s far from prolific production, although his influence on the offense cannot be measured by his statistics alone. Jeffery’s value to the offense was apparent during the last three games when he was out of the lineup. Nelson Agholor is better when Jeffery is on the field commanding attention. Same with tight end Zach Ertz, who said Jeffery is “an established No. 1 receiver and teams view him like that.” Pederson said the other targets see more single coverage with Jeffery in the lineup and the Eagles can run more route combinations.”

“It definitely give us, offensively, a shot in the arm, and he can become a big impact, quite honestly, with the offense…the formations and moving our guys around, moving him inside, moving him outside,” Pederson said. “There’s going to be a progression with him, and I don’t think it will be instantaneous, but at the same time, the more comfortable he gets, the better he becomes. He becomes a target defensively as you saw in some of the games last year where he was doubled a lot, especially in the red zone and we know that is going to happen. …He makes a huge difference for us.”

Wentz shared a similar sentiment, calling Jeffery’s potential return a “spark to the offense” and that Jeffery can help the Eagles both down the field and underneath. Like Pederson and Jeffery, Wentz would not speak as if it’s a certainty that Jeffery will play Sunday.

Of course the Eagles won’t say Alshon is active for Sunday’s game until the absolute deadline. That way the Titans will have to dilute their game plan preparations across a broader spectrum of possible personnel combinations.
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