Jordan Matthews’ days as strictly a slot receiver may be coming to an end.
Matthews enjoyed one of the best years ever by an Eagles rookie wide receiver this past season, with 67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns.
All his production came out of the slot, while Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper served as the starters outside.
Cooper had a disappointing year, Maclin bolted for Kansas City, the Eagles didn’t sign a receiver during free agency, and now the Eagles’ wide receiving corps looks desolate other than Matthews.
So the obvious question to head coach Chip Kelly at the owners meetings in Arizona was whether he plans to move Matthews outside either by desire or necessity.
The answer was … maybe.
“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s the spring. Everybody plays everywhere in the spring, and we’ll figure it out. I don’t know if we add anybody and what are their strengths and what are their weaknesses.”
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Last year, Kelly was insistent about keeping Matthews inside, and Matthews responded by setting a franchise record for receptions by a rookie wide receiver, recording the second-most receiving yards by a rookie wide out (40 fewer than DeSean Jackson in 2008) and registering the second-most TD catches (one fewer than Calvin Williams in 1990).
He’s one of only 13 wide outs in NFL history to record 65 receptions, 800 yards and eight TDs as a rookie (and one of four last year).
But through it all, he remained in the slot, where his size and hands were an asset and his lack of world-class speed wasn’t a factor.
“He was a rookie,” Kelly told reporters covering the owners meetings in Phoenix. “We just wanted him to play one position and learn one position.
“The biggest thing we do is once we get rookies in there, it’s, ‘Hey, you’re playing one spot. Let’s not put a lot on your plate.’
“It’s no different than Zach Ertz. His package was expanded in Year 2 (from what it) was in Year 1, just because when they first get in there, it’s a totally different world for them.
“Once they get comfortable there, you start to see them move around and play a lot of different spots. So I can envision Jordan playing at a lot of different spots for us.”
If he does move outside, Matthews would be facing faster corners than the guys who cover him in the slot, and he’d have to prove he can get off the line of scrimmage against press coverage.
But Kelly said he’s confident Matthews can do it.
“Yeah, he can do it just like Josh [Huff] can do it,” he said, adding, “Riley Cooper could move into the slot for us.”
With his size and lack of speed, Cooper would seem to be a natural fit in the slot as well.
The wild card is Huff, who showed a few flashes as a rookie but got off to a slow start because of a preseason shoulder injury and finished with just eight catches for 98 yards.
But he did have a kickoff return for a touchdown in the preseason and another one during the regular season. He took a short pass from Mark Sanchez 44 yards against the Cowboys. He’s fast and physical, and if he’s ever able to put everything together, he could be a productive wideout.
“I think Josh, it’s his consistency,” Kelly said. “The biggest thing with him is getting hurt in that preseason game. That kind of put him behind everybody, and when we got him back, it was after the San Francisco game (Week 4).
“We’ve already played four or five games, so he was playing a little bit of catch up. He contributed really well for us. He’s an unbelievable [special] teams player. We already know he’s established there.
“Now it’s just getting a little more consistent and he’ll get an opportunity now with Mac gone. I just think, like with everybody, you just hope that year one to year two jump. We know he has the physical skills and the mindset to do it.
“It’s just staying healthy and getting an opportunity to show us that.”
Matthews was a second-round pick and Huff a third-rounder last year, and it’s hard to imagine the Eagles won’t take a wideout again in the first three rounds this year.
There could be five or six first-round wide receivers this year and another five or six in the second round. It’s possible as many as 15 to 18 could go in the first three rounds.
So even though they didn’t sign a wideout in free agency and the cupboard looks bare right now — the only receivers under contract are Huff, Matthews, Cooper, Quron Pratt and Will Murphy — the Eagles will have an opportunity in the draft to bolster what may be their thinnest position right now.
“I think it’s a talented draft class,” Kelly said. “We’re still kind of putting that all together, but it’s another year where there are some really good receivers in the draft. I think probably the one position in the draft that has the most depth in the draft is wide receiver.
“Our team’s not set right now, is the best way to say it. We don’t know what we have. We may get someone in the draft who is like, ‘Oh my God, he’s better than we thought he was, we need to feed him.’”