A source close to the situation confirmed an NFL.com report Wednesday that Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has undergone surgery to repair his right rotator cuff. The source said the goal is for Jeffery to be ready for the 2018 regular season, though he could return during the preseason if all goes well.
Jeffery, 28, one of the Eagles' biggest Super Bowl LII heroes, was injured on the first weekend of training camp, but ultimately was able to play every game of the 2017 season, catching 57 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns. He played 82 percent of the Eagles' offensive snaps.
The source said Jeffery did not experience significant discomfort during the season or the three-game postseason, in which Jeffery caught 12 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns, including a spectacular 34-yard score from Nick Foles in the Super Bowl.
Jeffery came to the Eagles last spring on a one-year free-agent contract and, in December, signed a four-year extension that could be worth as much as $52 million.
The news of his injury and surgery casts a different light on one of the mysteries of the 2017 training camp and preseason _ why Jeffery practiced and played so little, as he was getting acclimated to a new system and quarterback. Jeffery landed hard on his shoulder July 30, was said to have a shoulder "strain" that cost him four days of practice the first week of camp, and did not play in the Aug. 10 preseason opener against Green Bay. The coaching staff indicated that Jeffery was OK by then, that he just didn't really need the work, that they wanted to save his legs
"It's just a matter of keeping him rested," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said on Aug. 4. "I've seen a lot from him, probably more so than what you guys have seen, and I'm comfortable with where he's at with our offense, and I'm going to make sure he's healthy going into the season."
But at one point later in camp, quarterback Carson Wentz lamented the fact that he hadn't gotten to work more on timing with Jeffery, and when the season began, their partnership took a while to blossom _ producing 24 catches and four touchdowns in a five-game span from Weeks 9 to 14, when Wentz went down for the season with a knee injury.
As you probably recall, Wentz threw his final, franchise record-setting 33rd touchdown pass of the season against the Rams, a few plays after he suffered his torn ACL and LCL. He threw it to Jeffery, who we now know was playing with a torn rotator cuff.
