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The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t officially clinched a playoff spot yet but if they can do that AND then win their wild card round matchup, well, they just might be getting a critical player back from injury. ESPN’s Tim McManus reports DeSean Jackson could potentially be activated from injured reserve in a few weeks:
DeSean Jackson is expecting to re-join the team on the field should the Eagles advance to the divisional round of the playoffs, a source said. He is feeling good and clocking 19 mph in rehab. Not eligible to return from IR until Round 2 of postseason.
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) December 23, 2019
As noted, Jackson isn’t eligible to return from IR until the divisional round. The Eagles have to win their next two games to get that far.
It’s far from guaranteed but certainly not impossible. If/when the Eagles clinch the NFC East, they’ll host their first playoff opponent at Lincoln Financial Field. Win that and then they advance to second round.
Getting Jackson back could be a pretty big deal for the Eagles, assuming he’s recovered nicely from the surgery he had on a core muscle injury. The team has sorely lacked a reliable deep threat during his absence and the Eagles are super thin at wide receiver with only three being carried on the 53-man roster.
Carson Wentz had a great chemistry with Jackson during offseason practices and that carried over into Week 1. Jackson logged eight receptions for 154 yards (19.3 average) and two touchdowns during the one entire game he played this season.
The Eagles will hope they can get to the point where Jackson is actually eligible to return. One step at a time.