Last week, the Philadelphia Eagles traded 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor to the Minnesota Vikings. The speedy Reagor was drafted to bring the speed element to the Eagles offense that it hasn’t had since then head coach Chip Kelly inexplicably released stalwart gamebreaker DeSean Jackson prior to the 2014 season. But things for Reagor never materialized in Philly, and after two very disappointing seasons the Eagles decided to cut their losses.
But you know the old adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” For Vikings special teams coordinator Matt Daniels, that couldn’t resonate any more in his glowing and over-the-top assessment of the underachieving Reagor.
During an interview on Thursday, Daniels went all in on how happy he is to see Reagor in the Twin Cities.
The Vikings trade for WR Jalen Reagor. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/LaVyP7MjMw
— NFL (@NFL) August 31, 2022
“Santa came late.”
“I was salivating over this guy when he was coming out of college back in 2020. Between him, CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk. I had those guys at the top of my list as the top punt returners coming out of that group, and, honestly, Reagor was No. 1 in my book.”
Daniels continued to heap praise on Reagor that some felt was a bit over the top.
“He’s a very stout, cocky-built guy. He’s not really narrow. He’s got thick, strong legs, big glutes, really nice calves, you know. Again, I salivated over the guy.
“Being able to see him in person, you realize this guy’s got some weight to him. He’s really hard to tackle. He has the ability to make you miss. He’s elusive. But obviously he has the home run speed to take it the distance. That’s what makes him spooky.’”
LIVE: Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels talks to the media https://t.co/BMP60BY1TP
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 8, 2022
If there’s a better rendition of praise for a player in the league, I haven’t seen or heard it. Daniels is smart enough to say let’s speak life into a player who’s looked like he can’t play at the NFL level. While Reagor was a great punt returner at TCU, he hasn’t had the opportunities in the NFL and when given the chance he hasn’t done much with it.
Reagor Could Be Relegated To Punt Returner
The Eagles trading Reagor to the Vikings was a sign that they were comfortable with their duo of DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown. The emergence of Quez Watkins and Greg Ward, plus the arrival of Zach Pascal, also helped spell doom for Reagor. But coming to Minneapolis might not be a better situation for the Horned Frogs star.
The Vikings have two great receivers in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. They also have rising players K.J. Osborn and Jalen Nailor, therefore Reagor has his work cut out for him to get wide receiver reps. He’s already penciled in as the starting punt returner, as evinced by Daniels’ glowing review.
Eagles Drafted Reagor Over Jefferson
In 2020, Eagles brass decided on Reagor over Justin Jefferson, although wide receivers from the Big 12 rarely pan out. Jefferson was coming off a national championship with LSU playing in the extremely tough SEC. Philly made a mistake in choosing Reagor over Jefferson, and GM Howie Roseman told 94 WIP radio this on Tuesday.
“It’s obvious. I’m not going to sit here and lie. We’d love to have that moment back.”
Roseman took 100 percent blame for the blunder.
Howie Roseman on @SportsRadioWIP says he wishes he had that moment back where #Eagles took Reagor over Justin Jefferson
Says one key lesson he learned was pick best player as opposed to picking a player for a role
(Jefferson was viewed as slot, Reagor on the outside/speed)
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) September 6, 2022
Now that the Eagles were able to land AJ Brown via trade, Roseman can own up to his mistake.
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