The Philadelphia Eagles have released DeSean Jackson. Yes, that DeSean Jackson. He just had his best season ever with 82 catches, over 1300 yards, and nine touchdowns, all the while being one of the most feared threats in the entire NFL. Nobody can take the lid off the defense like him. Jackson may be a headache, but he is a headache in his prime. In my opinion, the stories floating out there about his gang related activities are a smokescreen. It is obvious that Kelly wanted him out of Philadelphia.
I don't care about the $10.5 million he would have made this season. The Eagles over $15 million in cap space after making some good decisions in free agency. Cutting Jackson does give them about five million more in cap, but without the threat of Jackson, Cooper and Maclin are just average receivers. Jackson, Maclin, Cooper, Ertz, and Shady McCoy make an unstoppable quintet; an absolute nightmare for defensive coordinators everywhere. Philadelphia started by making very smart moves to take the next step this season. The Eagles had all the pieces in house offensively with Maclin's return to be a 12 win team this season. DeSean was the guy who drove the defensive backs far down the field while opening the middle for Cooper, Ertz, and company.
Without Jackson, the fantasy implications are immense. McCoy would be the only Eagle offensive player not downgraded. Foles fantasy numbers will drop by 20 percent. Maclin and Cooper would go from within the top 50 to a hopeful top 75. Maclin is coming off an ACL injury and it usually takes until the second season to be fully recovered. Cooper doesn't have top end speed and won't have Jackson to take the top off the defense. I can't see a scenario where Jackson can repeat the season he just had if he moves to another team unless he signs with Washington. Jackson, Garcon, and Roberts make a very formidable trio and Jay Gruden can make it work very well. With any other team, he might possibly have 1000 yards, 65 catches, 6 touchdowns, dropping from top 10 down to below 20 for sure.
If you own Jackson, I recommend holding him and see if the Redskins sign him. He is meeting with them on Monday and Snyder has the money to sign him. Eagles fans should be disappointed. They are going to struggle to win nine games at this point. Obviously, they could draft a wide receiver, as there are many really good ones out there this season, but until we see what happens, enthusiasm is waning.
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Kevin Powell is a contributing writer for:
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Email --kpowell1962@gmail.com
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