Howard Smith- USA TODAY Sports
As the first preseason game against the New England Patriots approaches there are some intriguing Philadelphia Eagles players the fans are anxious to see come Friday night. One of those players is the 6-foot-7 240-pound wide out from Boston College, Ifeanyi Momah.
Momah is by far the biggest receiver on the Eagles roster and was signed as an undrafted free agent this offseason. He is a huge target with big hands and is surprisingly fast, since he ran a 4.4 40 yard dash prior to the Eagles handing him a contract. Now Momah seems like the kind of guy who can come in and make an impact for this team due to his size and speed, but since the start of training camp Momah has struggled. Now it comes as no surprise that the 23-year-old wide receiver is struggling, but he is struggling in the one area that is most important about being a good wide receiver in the NFL and that is his route-running.
Momah looks extremely slow getting in and out of his breaks which is vital in today’s game. He doesn’t show a good burst off the line and doesn’t use his body to his advantage. Smaller cornerbacks will be all over Momah if he is sluggish on his route-running which might make the young wide receiver have a hard time seeing the field.
The one thing that Momah needs to do if he wants to make this team is use his size to separate himself from the corner to give him room to catch the ball. He may be used as a deep threat to occupy the corner and safety to open up some of the underneath routes for the other wide receivers. Kind of like what DeSean Jackson did for Jeremy Maclin in years past. Another way Momah can be utilized is in the red zone. A bigger target means better scoring opportunities in the red zone, and that’s an area the Eagles have struggled tremendously in previous years. I’m not sure if Chip Kelly is a fan of the fade route in the red zone, but if Momah is physical enough and can go up and get the ball, then maybe Kelly should put that play in his playbook.
Now I understand that Momah will have a hard time adjusting to the NFL since he hasn’t played a game of football in two years, but he needs to show the coaches he can be utilized in different areas to make the team. If he doesn’t improve getting in and out of his breaks, however, Momah is going to have a tough time adjusting to the NFL.
Sonny Bryan is a Philadelphia Eagles writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SonnyBryan50
