Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson hasn't been awful over the last two seasons, but he hasn't been a huge difference-maker, either. His plays over 40 yards were cut in half compared to his numbers from 2009 to 2010. His touchdowns fell off a cliff.
Jackson believes that the arrival of coach Chip Kelly will change that trend, in part because Kelly will line him up all over the field.
"Really moving me around and keeping defenses off guard," Jackson said Wednesday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I think a lot of times in the past couple of years, teams were able to key in on me and things like that. Moving me around the offense and having the defense off guard is something we're going to try to do."
Jackson's per-game numbers in 2012 were similar to the ones he posted during a disappointing 2011 season, but, in reality, he played much better. He caught more tough passes all over the field and was a reliable option after dropping a number of balls the year before. In theory, his speed should be a perfect fit for what Kelly wants to do.
"With Chip coming in here with the style of play of his offense, I think it's really going to help me out a lot because I'm going to be able to get certain looks, get the ball in my hands, do different things that we weren't doing the past five years. It's going to be an exciting time for me," Jackson said.
The receiver is due $10.25 million next season, and almost none of it is guaranteed. Jackson will have to play like a No. 1 option to stick around for a second year with Kelly.Â
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
