Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery is new to the Eagles and the NFC East, but that didn’t keep him from getting a mention from Josh Norman when Norman was promising things would get ugly in the division this season.
Jeffery didn’t get as many barbs thrown in his direction as Odell Beckham and Dez Bryant as Norman merely said that receivers like Jeffery are mistaken if they think their size gives them an advantage in a matchup. On Wednesday, Jeffery wasn’t stoking any embers ahead of Sunday’s game against the Redskins.
“I just go out and just play football,” Jeffery said, via CSNPhilly.com. “I let my game do the talking. All that other stuff will take care of itself.”
Jeffery caught five passes for 92 yards in a game against the Redskins last season. Norman spent most of the game shadowing and Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Wednesday that he expects the same approach this weekend. Pederson also said he watched all of Jeffery’s targets from that game as part of his preparation.
“Alshon won his share,” Pederson said. “Josh Norman won his share. It’s a good battle. I think those two have a lot of respect for each other. It’s great competition. But I just wanted to see how he handled a little pressure in those situations.”
The Eagles brought Jeffery to the team after watching their receivers fail too often during the 2016 season and the expectations are high for what he’ll mean to the offense. Thanks to the schedule, there won’t be any easing into his attempt to meet them.