Alshon Jeffery has been recovering from a rotator cuff injury that he played through all of last season, and a report earlier in the week indicated the star receiver may not be cleared in time for Week 1. Eagles coach Doug Pederson felt the need to address that report on Tuesday.
After initially telling reporters he was not going to comment on Jeffery’s status, Pederson couldn’t resist shooting down Ian Rapoport’s report that Jeffery could potentially begin the season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would mean sitting out through Week 6.
“You know what, I’m not going to comment on that because we’re monitoring his progress, it’s day-to-day, we’re happy where he’s at, and we’ll continue to do that,” Pederson said, per Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice. “But I’m not sure where that came from.”
The fact that Jeffery played through all of 2017 with a significant shoulder injury and still performed the way he did speaks to his toughness. He caught nine touchdowns during the regular season and added another three in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl win. While the Eagles have the depth needed to overcome playing without Jeffery, there’s no reason to rule him out for Week 1 just yet.
