The Eagles elected to activate Alshon Jeffery off the preseason PUP list and onto the 53-man roster, which means they believe he’ll be able to play at some point in the coming weeks.
Jeffery, still recovering from a foot injury suffered late last year, would not have counted against the 53-man roster if the Eagles moved him to regular-season PUP but would have missed at least the first six games of the season.
So the Eagles believe Jeffery will be back much sooner than that.
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Jeffery was having his worst season since his rookie year in Chicago in 2012 when he suffered a Lisfranc foot sprain in the first Giants game last December.
There has been a lot of speculation about his future, and the Eagles have been trying to trade him, but with his injury, his declining production and his $9.9 million guaranteed salary in 2020 he was untradeable.
Apparently, the Eagles expect some production from that bloated salary because Jeffery is now taking up a valuable roster spot.
The Eagles kept seven receivers in all, and neither Jeffery nor rookie 1st-round pick Jalen Reagor is expected to be available for the opener.
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Of the other receivers, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward are second-year pros, Quez Watkins and John Hightower are rookies and DeSean Jackson is going into his 13th year.
So every Eagles receiver is either 25 and under or over 30.
The Eagles will likely start Jackson and Arcega-Whiteside outside and Ward inside when the season begins next Sunday in Washington.
It's too early to determine what role Jeffery will have when he does return to action. It will likely depend on how Arcega-Whiteside and Hightower are performing and how healthy Jackson is.
Jeffery averaged 72 yards per game in five years with the Bears but has averaged only 54 yards per game with the Eagles.