DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Things have not gone well for DeSean Jackson in his return to the Philadelphia Eagles. He will now undergo surgery on his injured abdomen.
When elite vertical threat DeSean Jackson came back to his original team in the Philadelphia Eagles this past offseason, Eagles fans were expecting to see him make big plays down the field for them in the passing game. Instead, what they’ve gotten thus far has been an injury-riddled return to the City of Brotherly Love.
Jackson reportedly hurt his abdomen in the Eagles’ Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football. He had been out for the Eagles up until Week 9’s home game versus the Chicago Bears. The idea was that Jackson would be able to recover without surgery through rehabilitation for the last month or so, but hurting it again on Sunday means he’ll have to go under the knife.
The Eagles announced on Monday that Jackson will indeed have surgery to fix an injured core muscle. Given Jackson’s discomfort in the area after Sunday’s win at home against the Bears, this seems like the right course of action for him going forward. However, what does this mean for the Eagles in the second half of the season?
Obviously, this hurts the Eagles’ ability to stretch the field the rest of the way. The idea in bringing Jackson back to Philadelphia was for him to open up the field for quarterback Carson Wentz vertically, as well as make the passing game more complete and dynamic. So far this season, Jackson has just nine catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
With this injury coming at this part of the season, it doesn’t seem like Jackson will suit up for The Birds going forward in 2019. Could he be back in time for a playoff run? Maybe, but it’s not like the Eagles are running away with the NFC East at this time. Regardless, they’ll have to find a way to move the sticks with Jackson for the foreseeable future.