Free agency is five days old now and the Eagles have taken care of some major needs.
They signed one of the best offensive guards on the market, nabbed the backup quarterback they coveted and started to fill in the defense with guys who already know Jim Schwartz’s system.
Seems like they missed something. Yeah, their receivers are still Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff. Three young and talented players, but two of them haven’t produced much at all in the NFL.
It seems like the Eagles want to give them that chance.
“We feel that we [have] three receivers on our team, three young receivers who have an opportunity to develop and grow here who deserve the opportunity to develop and grow,” Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman said last week. “Excited about our coaching staff getting their hands on them.”
Of the three, Matthews is clearly the most accomplished. People were fixated on his drops in 2015, but his numbers speak loudly. In two years, he’s caught 152 passes for 1,869 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s one of just five players in NFL history to put up those numbers or better in the first two years of a career, joining Odell Beckham Jr., A.J. Green, Marques Colston and Larry Fitzgerald.
So there’s one very good receiver.
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After that?
Well, two unproven talents who have both shown flashes of what could be. In two years in the league, Huff has just 35 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Agholor, in his rookie season, had 23 catches for 283 yards and one touchdown.
The Eagles clearly tried to solidify the receiver position during recent drafts, but it still appears shaky. They used a first-, second- and third-round pick on the trio in the last two drafts.
Now, just because the Eagles want to let the trio grow, it doesn’t mean they won’t bring in other talent at wideout. While most of the top guys in free agency are gone, there are still options available and the team has about $15.7 million left in cap room.
Late last week, head coach Doug Pederson said there’s still a chance the Eagles sign a receiver in free agency, but he thinks his offense will have enough firepower in 2016.
“Obviously, we’re happy where we are currently today,” Pederson said. “The draft is coming up, which is a big evaluation process. We have three tremendous tight ends on the roster, four that are going to compete for those roster spots there. With the three young receivers that we have, we feel like we can be a dynamic offense in the National Football League.”