Eagles have tough decision to make: Greg Ward or Mack Hollins for fifth and probably final WR spot
Ward has had an outstanding summer. Will Hollins' prowess on special teams be enough to give him the nod?
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mack Hollins exited the visitor’s locker room at MetLife Stadium late Thursday, crammed some food from the Eagles’ buffet table into a to-go box, and headed for the team bus for the ride back to Philadelphia.
If the third-year wide receiver was concerned about whether he was going to survive Saturday’s roster cuts, he didn’t show it. He had the same not-a-care-in-the-world look on his face that he always does.
“I feel good,’’ he said with a smile. “It felt good to be out there tonight and able to run like I used to.’’
Hollins played 28 snaps in the Eagles’ final preseason game, a 6-0 loss to the Jets that was played in front of mostly friends and family. He caught just one pass for 6 yards.
He has been in a battle with Greg Ward for the fifth wide-receiver spot on a team that is expected to keep only five.
Ward, who has been cut by the Eagles in each of the previous two years, has looked good this summer. Very good.
He has flashed consistently in practice, caught a 38-yard touchdown pass in the second preseason game against Jacksonville, had four catches last week against Baltimore, and had a 15-yard run on an end-around Thursday night.
Hollins had a promising rookie season in 2017, but he missed all of last year with multiple groin injuries. He suffered another lower-body injury four days into training camp this summer and missed nearly a week of practice and the Eagles’ first preseason game.
He played just 13 snaps against Jacksonville but played 34 last week against the Ravens without any problems.
“The key was not pushing it too hard and end up setting myself back further,’’ Hollins said. “It was just a tweak. It had been a while since I had played, and I think I just pushed it a little too quick. It took a week to get back right, and I haven’t had any problems since.’’
At 6-foot-4, Hollins is bigger than the 5-11 Ward, and is one of the team’s top special-teams players. If he beats out Ward, it will be his special-teams prowess that clinches the roster job for him, though Ward also can play on special teams.
“With anything, the more you can do, the better off your chances,’’ Hollins said. “Any time coach wants me to do something, I’ll do it. I’ve played a lot of special teams in college and had that background.’’
After cutting Ward the last two summers, the Eagles were able to re-sign him to their practice squad. But given his impressive play this summer, as well as his play last spring in the short-lived Alliance of American Football, he almost certainly will get picked up by another NFL team if the Eagles let him go.
“He’s ready,’’ Mike Quick, the Eagles’ longtime radio analyst and five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, declared two weeks ago.
Asked about Hollins after the game Thursday, coach Doug Pederson sounded like a man who still hadn’t made up his mind. There are obvious concerns about Hollins’ ability to stay healthy after what happened last year and again at the beginning of training camp.
“We just gotta go back and look at everything, the full body of work,’’ Pederson said. “Obviously, his health coming in was an issue.
“But he battled through that. He got himself healthy and back on the field, and that’s commendable. We just gotta look at the whole body of work and see, and make some tough decisions on these guys.’’
The Eagles kept six wide receivers last season. If they keep six again, both Hollins and Ward will make the team. But injuries at other positions probably are going to force the Eagles to carry just five this season, at least initially.
Cutting Ward the last two summers wasn’t a very difficult decision. He was making the transition from college quarterback at Houston to pro wide receiver and had a lot to learn. But the light went on this spring in the AAF.
His position coach with the San Antonio Commanders, Keith Williams, taught him to focus on sinking his hips when he went in and out of breaks. “He drilled that into my head every single day,’’ Ward said.
As he got dressed after the game Thursday night, Ward said he has no regrets. He knows he played well this summer. He knows now that he’s good enough to play in the NFL. To have somebody like Quick reaffirm that meant a lot to him.
“Somebody brought [Quick’s comments] to my attention,’’ Ward said. “I try to stay away from reading stuff in the papers and on social media. But to have one of the Eagles greats actually say that about me meant a lot.’’
Rejection is hard. It’s usually no easier to accept the second or third time than it was the first. Ward will be disappointed if he is released Saturday because he feels he’s played well enough this summer to earn a spot on the Eagles roster.
But he’s ready for whatever happens, if for no other reason than he knows it probably won’t be the end of his dream.
“The way my mind is set up right now, the way it’s been set up this whole training camp, all I’ve been doing is worrying about today and letting God help me with the rest,’’ Ward said.
“I put what I did on tape [for the rest of the league to see]. Now, I can only wait and see how it goes. I always think I can do better. But regardless of what happens, I’ll be good with whatever decision they make.’’