Philadelphia added a solid receiver to their roster with the signing of Zach Pascal. This deal is reportedly only for one year. This is not the Eagles first option when signing a new wide receiver. The Eagles were going for other top receivers on the market but they just could not get a deal done. However, Pascal, is a good pick up to at least add more depth to the receiving core. He also has a close relationship with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, which can only be a good thing. This article will look at Zach Pascal more in depth as he prepares for a new season with the Philadelphia Eagles.
His College Career
Zach Pascal began his journey to the NFL in Conference USA as he played for Old Dominion in college. Pascal was a force at Old Dominion as he was one of their top receivers. He began his college career in 2014 as he showed off his talents right off the bat. Pascal had 743 yards and seven touchdowns.
He got even better in 2015 where he almost got to the 1,000-yard mark but fell short with 975 receiving yards. He also had eight touchdowns during that year. Lastly during his senior year, he again fell short of 1,000 yards as he finished 2016 with 943 receiving yards. He however improved his touchdown total with nine.
Pascal’s NFL career up to this point
Pascal has played four years in the NFL with all of them being with the Indianapolis Colts. Pascal has great hands and can catch the ball in the traffic. He also has speed as he has been known to get some touches running the ball as well. The thing that sticks out about his numbers playing in college and playing for the Colts is that he can score touchdowns. This is something that every NFL team looks for in a receiver. Pascal’s best years with the Colts came in 2019 and 2020. He had just over 600 yards in both seasons and scored five receiving touchdowns in each of those years.
Recently in 2021 his number have been a bit down. He had had 384 yards and three touchdowns. That is interesting because that is the first year that Nick Sirianni was not with the Colts organization. Maybe Sirianni brings the best out of Pascal.
How can Pascal improve the Eagles Offense
Pascal can improve the offense in several ways. Firstly, it means less playing time for Jalen Reagor. He really struggled in 2021 as he was not consistent at all. He dropped passes and did not give anywhere near the production the Eagles hoped he would. Many Eagles fans are calling for Philadelphia to let him go. If the Eagles do keep Reagor then this could be a wakeup call for him as playing time just got tougher to come by. Not to mention the Eagles will probably take a high-end receiver in the draft.
Secondly, Pascal can score which is what the Eagles need on their offense. Devonta Smith and Pascal could be a deadly scoring combination in 2022. Not to mention that Quez Watkins is only getting better as he gets more playing time. Lastly, he is a good pass catcher. The Eagles had issues dropping passes in 2021. Pascal will make drops less likely for this Philadelphia offense.
This was not a slam dunk signing for the Eagles, but it is solid as said before. Nick Sirianni will know what to do with Pascal as he has worked with him before, and they have already built a special relationship. Pascal should really help this offense improve in 2022. This concludes this Philadelphia Eagles Player Spotlight on Zach Pascal.
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