Ex-Eagles draft bust gets shot with Falcons
Oct 27, 2019; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (19) looks on prior to the game against the Buffalo Bills at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Falcons will hold their rookie minicamp this weekend and among the veteran tryouts is former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
Former Eagles and Seahawks WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside is participating in the #Falcons rookie camp on a tryout basis.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 12, 2023
Arcega-Whiteside was a second-round pick of the Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft but never lived up to his billing. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Stanford product stumbled out of the gate, hauling in just 10 receptions (on 22 targets) for 169 yards and one touchdown as a rookie.
Things got worse from there as Arcega-Whiteside’s production completely fell off in 2020. He caught just four passes for 84 yards in eight games that season. Then, in 2021, he caught two passes for 36 yards and was largely relegated to special teams over the course of 16 games.
Prior to the 2022 season, Arcega-Whiteside attempted to revitalize his career by transitioning to tight end but the experiment failed. The Eagles pulled the plug and traded Arcega-Whiteside to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Ugo Amadi last August.
With the Seahawks, Arcega-Whiteside’s struggles continued. He failed to make the 53-man roster out of training camp and spent the first two months of the season on Seattle’s practice squad before being released on November 1, 2022. He remained unsigned for the rest of the season.
During his career at Stanford, Arcega-Whiteside showed promise with 135 receptions for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns. He’ll now have a chance to get back into the league with the Falcons.
