Eagles receiver Jalen Reagor is slowed by a failed conditioning test and the loss of a close friend
He wasn’t the only player to fail the test. Tight end Dallas Goedert didn’t pass as well, sources said.
Jalen Reagor was a surprise addition to the Eagles’ injury roll call when training camp opened Wednesday. The second-year receiver was listed as having “lower body tightness.” But there was another reason he was limited at practice. He failed Tuesday’s conditioning test, NFL sources told The Inquirer.
The injury happened as a result, but Reagor also wasn’t physically or mentally ready to pass the test, sources said. The recent murder of a childhood friend has weighed heavily on the 22-year old, and the Eagles believe it affected his readiness and performance at the start of camp, a league source said.
Reagor has participated in individual drills the first two days of camp but has been held out of team drills.
He wasn’t the only player to fail the test. Dallas Goedert didn’t pass as well, sources said. The fourth-year tight end apparently wasn’t slowed as much by his conditioning or lack thereof. He used the wrong technique in a drill, turned the wrong way, and thus finished below the required baseline, a league source said.
Goedert hasn’t been listed on the injury report and has practiced, although fellow tight end Zach Ertz has appeared to take more team drill repetitions through the first two days.
The Eagles declined to comment on the failed tests. Reagor and Goedert weren’t available Thursday.
The Eagles are expecting Reagor to take a significant jump in Year 2. The 2020 first-round draft pick struggled through an injury-marred first season, although he flashed at times late in the season.
“You’re going to see a whole lot of improvement,” Reagor said in May during spring workouts.
The addition of another first-round receiver — DeVonta Smith — could relieve Reagor of some of the pressure he felt as a rookie. Of course, if Smith explodes and Reagor doesn’t, there could be an adverse effect.
NFL teams have long conducted conditioning tests as a means to gauge the fitness of returning players after the summer break. While new coach Nick Sirianni’s early workouts have been relatively physical, the Eagles have yet to wear full pads, and practices have been only about 75 minutes.