PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Jalen Reagor’s first couple of seasons in the NFL haven’t been the smoothest, evident by Sunday’s costly drops at the end of the Eagles’ 13-7 loss to the Giants.
Despite the 2020 first-round pick’s struggles, rookie head coach Nick Sirianni indicated he doesn't plan on benching Reagor, even if it’s for one game just to take a step back.
“I’m comfortable with the roles that they’re in right now,” Sirianni said of his five wide receivers. “I have not thought about that and not thought through that because I don’t think that’s in the best of the team, because I think Jalen Reagor gives us the best chance to win.”
After being taken 21st overall in 2020, Reagor had 31 catches for 396 yards in 11 games during an injury-filled rookie season. Through 12 games in 2021, Reagor has 25 receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
Before his drops on Sunday, Reagor made a great catch near the end of the first half. He also had some highlight-reel one-handed grabs during preseason practices. But this playmaking ability has only been in flashes.
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“I do believe that Jalen is working himself. He does work extremely hard in practice to get himself better,” Sirianni said. “What you want out of every player … [is] consistency. And I think what we saw [Sunday] is he wasn’t consistent throughout the game. He knows that.”
Reagor has also had a role as a returner on special teams but hasn’t consistently produced big returns.
Despite the disappointing performance on Sunday, Reagor was accountable in his postgame press conference, answering questions and taking ownership for his drops.