The Philadelphia Eagles officially announced three roster moves ahead of their Week 9 game against the Los Angeles Chargers. An overview:
- TE Tyree Jackson was activated from injured reserve to the 53-man roster.
- RB Jordan Howard and WR John Hightower were temporarily elevated from the practice squad.
Let’s sort through this news on a player-by-player basis.
TYREE JACKSON
Jackson’s activation is exciting/intriguing. The quarterback-turned-tight end looked really good in training camp practices before suffering a back injury in mid-August. Howie Roseman repeatedly cited Jackson’s presence as part of the reason the team was comfortable with trading Zach Ertz. At 6’7”, 249 pounds, Jackson is a big, athletic target to be added to the Eagles’ passing attack.
Of course, it remains to be seen how involved Jackson will be from the jump. Dallas Goedert is firmly cemented as the top tight end. Does Jackson end up supplanting Jack Stoll as TE2? If not immediately, perhaps in the near future?
Another thing to wonder is how Jackson fits with Jalen Hurts. Most, if not all, of Jackson’s summer standout moments came when he was working with the second team offense and Joe Flacco was throwing his way. Jackson had a lot of success over the middle of the field, an area that Hurts targets less than any other starting NFL quarterback.
So, there are a number of reasons why Jackson might not shine right out of the gate. But there’s a chance he’ll surpass expectations and surprise people just like he did in camp. It’ll be interesting to watch his development.
JORDAN HOWARD
It’s no surprise that the Eagles are elevating Howard for the second week in a row. He’ll be one of three active running backs for this week’s game along with Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell.
Scott and Howard were Philly’s main two ball-carriers prior to garbage time against the Detroit Lions. Will the coaching staff employ similar usage or are they going to shake things up? We’ll see. But the Eagles should obviously be looking to pound the rock against a (somewhat intentionally) bad Chargers run defense.
The Eagles elevating Howard for a second time means he’s no longer eligible to be elevated by them this season. They’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster if they want him to play in games.
JOHN HIGHTOWER
Elevating Hightower gives the Eagles a fifth wide receiver behind DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor, and Greg Ward. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was ruled out of Sunday’s game due to an ankle injury.
Will the Eagles use Hightower in the JJAW role as a blocking receiver and a special teams contributor? Those things aren’t necessarily his strengths. Hightower didn’t even play a single special teams snap as a rookie. But he’ll likely be counted to contribute on that unit after being elevated.