Philadelphia Eagles: Why Desean Jackson Isn't the Answer at Wide Receiver

Now before I start receiving hate mail I would like for everyone to know I am a huge fan of DeSean Jackson and what he brings to the table.  I began to contemplate the thought that Jackson is the limiting factor for this offense when I viewed an article comparing the NFC East wide receiver corps. This is a good time to start discussing the topic, as Jackson has a contract expiring soon so it is good to know the facts before we sign him long term.

First off, his size is underwhelming.  For a player of his dynamic playmaking abilities, the crossing routes would be excellent with his speed, as he could break a simple 10-yard pass into a touchdown on any given play. 

The only downside to this scenario? Jackson was on a crossing route this year in the game against the Falcons and received a tough blow which resulted in a concussion.  His professional career already has red flags regarding concussions, and his size will always cause him to either get leveled or shy away from contact. 

A player who reminds me of Jackson is Mike Wallace.  He does not garner as much media attention, as the receiving game comes second to the run game in Pittsburgh, but both Jackson and Wallace are speedsters with good hands who have huge yards per catch.

A complete comparison shows Jackson with 47 receptions, 1,056 yards, 22.5 YPC and six passing touchdowns, and Wallace with 60 receptions, 1,257 yards, 21.0 YPC and 10 TDs.  Now of course, this is not a completely fair comparison, as Jackson also has value in punt return situations, but this will decrease as he becomes a larger part of the offense and the front office makes a larger commitment to him financially.

The biggest difference between these two players' stats is likely due to body size.  Wallace is 6' at 199 lbs., while Jackson is 5'10" at 175 lbs.  In Pittsburgh, Wallace is the No. 2 receiver behind Hines Ward, who is a consistent first down-getter, while Jackson is the pride and joy and No. 1 receiver in Philadelphia. 

In an offense that is pass first, Jackson's height and physicality are masked by his speed until the offense reaches into the red zone.  That is when Vick, McCoy, Maclin or Celek must step up.  I am not saying that all short, speedy receivers suck, but even the shorter superstars have some thickness to their body that allows them to sustain tough hits, a la Steve Smith or Wallace.

Playoff teams with championship-level defenses can bottle him up with safety help over the top, thus causing him to disappear during big games against good teams.  I do believe Maclin is coming along well and will be a better receiver long term, as he seems to be more well-rounded, but our overall receiving corps lacks height and physicality that both the Giants and the Cowboys have.

Here is an incredibly insightful and detailed article written by our very own Dave Stoessel that compares Jackson to several of the league's top wideouts. 

Although it is a great, analytical article, I must disagree with the main point for two reasons.  The first, many of those great wide receivers are on teams that have had quarterback issues in recent years, such as Larry Fitzgerald or Calvin Johnson, or that are on teams who are run-first teams in the red zone, such as Andre Johnson's Texans. 

The most complete wide receivers are those who can catch 10-plus touchdowns on a yearly basis, while still managing to get roughly 1,200-plus yards while usually being double-teamed. 

My second point of disagreement with the movement to keep Jackson is due to the fact that he wants Fitzgerald money when Fitzgerald signed a contract after a stellar year of performance when he was debated as the best receiver in the league.  DeSean has never been debated as one of the top five receivers in the league, and for good reason, thus he should not make top five receiver money.

If DeSean were expecting fringe No. 1 wide receiver money, then I would gladly sign him up for a nice healthy contract, but due to his affinity for concussions and limited physical ability, I would hesitate to pay him star wide receiver dollars.  He would make a deadly combination as the No. 2 receiver with someone who is a consistent red zone threat with great hands, such as Vincent Jackson or Brandon Marshall, but the Eagles have no such player.

All in all, I think the Eagles should extend his contract or re-sign him if the salary he wants is manageable.  If the dollars he seeks are too high, I would trade him out or wait a year and franchise tag/trade him out to get value, while taking advantage of some free agent wide receivers who can bring more physicality then finesse at the wide receiver position.