The Pederson Plan: Wide Receiver

Doug Pederson said the 2015 season was invaluable for how much he learned, which ultimately paved the way for him to become a head coach. One area he has yet to touch on was the value and benefit of having a true #1 wide receiver in an offense.

In 2014, not a single Kansas City wide receiver recorded a touchdown. When the Chiefs signed ex-Eagle Jeremy Maclin free agency during the 2015 off season, Eagle fans were interested with how he would produce with a quarterback like Alex Smith. The results exceeded my personal expectations. Maclin finished with 87 receptions, for 1,088 yards and 8 touchdowns. Maclin gave the Kansas City offense a guy that could stretch the field, grab the attention of defenders and force the double team coverage.

Do the Eagles have a guy that can stretch the field currently on the roster? If the answer is based on what was seen in 2015, the answer is “no.”

Josh Huff flashes small glimpses of speed, but his route running is brutal to watch and his hand-eye coordination is below average. Nelson Agholor, I’m not sure what went wrong in his rookie season. I’m hoping the disappointing stats are a combination of the injury that lingered for several weeks, the play-calling by Chip, or simply because of the rookie learning curve. I was high on Agholor as far as his “NFL ready” skillset, I’m still confident that he will be an impactful player. I’m still trying to figure out what role he is best suited for, I anticipate Pederson trying to plug him as the “X” receiver with the current depth chart.

Jordan Mathews is the best receiver on the team. He is an all-around good wide receiver, practices extremely hard and says all the right things. Playing the majority of his snaps as a slot receiver, there is certainly some uneasiness with thinking that he has the tools to be an outside receiver in the league.

Most refer to his speed, the fact that it’s lacking the next gear necessary to win those 1:1 battles with opposing cornerbacks. I won’t disagree with those who state that and it’s likely we will find out in 2016 if that notion is true or not. There are plenty of ways to keep Mathews involved in the passing game and his number of targets increasing heading into his third year. He came on strong in the second half of both his rookie and sophomore season, and although he may not consider himself as the #1 wide receiver on the roster, by default, he is until another guy is added to change that.

Could the Eagle find help in free agency? Yes, but the names are not going to wow the fan base. There are a few I would consider. Mohamed Sanu (CIN), Rueben Randle (NYG), Travis Benjamin (CLE) and Rishard Matthews (MIA) would all provide the Eagles with a veteran presence; and an immediate upgrade to Josh Huff as the Eagles third receiver.

Benjamin would be my guy, but I have the feeling new Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson will make every effort to resign Benjamin. I also look for Jackson to bring in a guy that he is familiar from his time in Cincinnati, so I’m going to cross Sanu off my list.

Randle is a guy that has good size, showed flashes in 2014 as a receiver when Victor Cruz was lost for the season. He also has been known to have mental lapses and dropped catches, something that plagued the offense in 2015.

The Dolphins are both strapped with salary space and already have a solid trio at the position group, so I certainly see Matthews signing elsewhere. I think Rishard Matthews would complement Agholor and Jordan Matthews. He wouldn’t cost a lot, and the Eagles could turn their focus onto the 2017 free agent class, that is absolutely loaded in terms of talent.

I’m not screaming for the Eagles to sign any of these guys. I recognize that the opportunity to improve the wide receiver situation in Philadelphia is by no means ideal with what is available. I think Huff needs a solid veteran, like a Jason Avant, but also new receivers coach Greg Lewis to help him with the mental part of excelling at the professional level. When I watch Huff, it’s almost as if has no idea of what the play is, which could be true, but I’d like for a more traditional coach like Pederson to make the final call.

With regards to drafting a receiver, day three at the earliest would be how I would address the position group. Pederson had nothing to do with the past two seasons in Philadelphia where veteran playmakers were either cut or not resigned. He had nothing to do with the receivers drafted in the first, second and third round in the last two drafts. I’m not a huge fan of the incoming wide receiver class, but hopefully the Eagles can find a guy day three who can contribute. Stefon Diggs who was taken in the 5th round of the 2015 draft by the Minnesota Vikings, is there a guy out there that the Eagles could find?

I have to be honest, it really bothers me how mediocre the wide receiving core has become for the Philadelphia Eagles. The playmaking ability of Jackson and Maclin are benefiting other teams, while the fan base is holding onto any remaining hope that Josh Huff can be a reliable third/fourth receiver, Agholor is going to bounce back in year two and Jordan Mathews will excel outside of the slot role.

I know for me, the hardest part is seeing the contribution from guys like Martavis Bryant and John Brown who many of us highlighted as guys for the Eagles to target in the mid rounds of the 2014 draft. Huff was a guy that only became a discussion point because he played collegiately at Oregon, but his pre-draft grade was somewhere in the 5th-6th round.

Here are my thoughts.

If the Eagles can rely on the run, involve Ertz in the passing game the same way the Chiefs used Travis Kelce, I feel with the addition of a respectable veteran to compliment what the Eagles already have at receiver, the offense will be alright in 2016.