Eagles Expect Emotional Return From Jackson
By Ed Benkin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- DeSean Jackson suffered a shoulder injury last Sunday, and some are wondering if he will be able to play against the Eagles this weekend. LeSean McCoy has no doubt he will see his former teammate when the Washington offense takes the field.
As the Eagles get set to take on Washington at the Linc on Sunday, LeSean McCoy had the chance to exchange text messages with Jackson. Despite the injury, Jackson made it clear to McCoy he has no plans to miss his return to Philadelphia.
"You know he's playing," said McCoy. "That's the first thing he said. We expect him to have a good game, or at least to try to. He's a good player but overall, if we win the game, that's all that matters."
The DeSean Jackson hype is in full swing after the receiver had a messy divorce from the Eagles during the off-season. Jackson will be playing against the Eagles for the first time in his career and Eagles wideout Jeremy Maclin admits it will be a weird feeling for himself as well as many of his teammates.
"It's going to be strange," Maclin said. "We played together for five years, but one thing we have to understand is that it's the Eagles versus the Redskins and not DeSean versus Jeremy or anything else."
Some believe the Eagles could still use Jackson in their offense. While the team has scored a combined 64 points in its first two games, the wide receivers have struggled. Riley Cooper insists there is no added pressure to replace Jackson and that he is not pressing in the early part of the season.
"The last thing I'm thinking about is DeSean Jackson," said Cooper. "When the ball is in there and I'm trying to catch it, I'm not thinking about DeSean. I don't think it has anything to do with it."
Defensive Coordinator Bill Davis put his unit against Jackson in practice last year. Davis knows the speedy receiver will present a challenge on Sunday, but believes his cornerbacks will have an advantage after seeing Jackson on the practice field during his time with the Eagles.
"I think that helps a lot," Davis said. "When you go in and you have practiced and put your hands on a receiver, you know his speed. I think that helps, but the speed is still the speed. You either have it or you don't and he definitely has it."
Davis said Linebacker Mychal Kendricks remains day-to-day after suffering a calf injury in last Monday night's game. Rookie wide receiver Josh Huff returned to practice on a limited basis as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury. Cornerback Cary Williams was also limited with a hamstring injury.
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