Mac is Free
Posted: June 2nd, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 126 Comments »The Chiefs saved some big news for Friday night.
We have released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
➡️ https://t.co/xVXKqOhP3g pic.twitter.com/Gulky5JiAF
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) June 2, 2017
This is surprising because of the timing.
I talked to Jeff McLane and Jimmy Bama at the Senior Bowl about the Chiefs possibly cutting Maclin. They had a lot of young WRs and not much cap room. I wasn’t sure the move would happen, but it made some sense. When March came and went, I figured Maclin was safe.
Oops
The Chiefs needed cap space to get their draft picks signed so they cut Maclin. This wasn’t about health or performance.
Maclin consistently got first-team reps in OTA practices, though there was some rotation among the skill players. Looked spry to me
— Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) June 2, 2017
KC will go young at WR.
The question now becomes whether the Eagles have any interest in going after Maclin. He is a high character player with a good combination of size and speed. He posted big numbers in 2015 (87-1088-8), but they fell last year due to a groin injury and the emergence of Tyreek Hill.
Putting Maclin across from Alshon Jeffery would be a fun idea, but Torrey Smith already has that spot. Smith is almost a year younger and is a good deep threat. Maclin is the better overall receiver.
There are a handful of teams who need Maclin…not just want him. Buffalo could use a reliable veteran. And Mac knows Sean McDermott from their time together in Philly. The Ravens could use WR help. Marty Mornhinweg is the OC there and knows Mac well from Philly. The Panthers have serious questions at receiver. There are a few other teams that are in the same boat.
It doesn’t seem likely that the Eagles would be able to cut Smith and sign Maclin to a cheap deal. Possible, yes, but not likely. Maclin could decide coming back to Philly is worth making less money, but that’s generally not how players think. Maclin isn’t getting any younger so he may want to get as much money as he can to help set up his family for the post-football time that is coming.
It will be interesting to see if the Eagles try anything here. Back in 2011 the team got into trouble because they focused on individual pieces rather than the overall group and how the pieces fit together. That isn’t to say they shouldn’t look into the situation, rather that they need to think this through carefully and figure out if it makes sense to even make some calls.
Right now the Eagles have a good group of receivers. Jeffery is the workhorse. Smith is the deep threat on the other side. Jordan Matthews is good in the slot. Agholor can play any of the spots (playing well is a different story). Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson provide some speed and youth.
Maclin could play in the slot, but I think he is best outside. You would need to give him Smith’s spot to get the best out of him. The one real benefit to signing Maclin would be that he would give you insurance in case anything happens to Jeffery.
Maclin returning to Philly would be a great story, but it isn’t likely to happen.
_
Nelson Agholor is the team’s deep threat. Smith shouldn’t make the roster.
You’re crazy
Watch his tape from last year and get back to me.
Tape? I watched every San Fran game real time! I mean with a team performing at such a high level, I mean, top notch QB, amazing offense, weapons galore, and with so much success and well orchestrated team offense, it was can’t miss football!
Blame the team, QB, offense, surrounding weapons all you want – ****SIX**** other receivers gained more yards than he did.
Well, we’ll see.
I can’t wrap my head around how it must look like to watch football from your perspective. 1 guy on the field at a time. Vacuum only. Football – the ultimate individual sport.
On the contrary, it seems you are the one who is ignoring the performance of the rest of the team around Smith.
You have a laundry list of excuses for why his performance should have suffered last year, and yet none of those excuses applied to his six teammates who out-performed him as a receiver? Maybe because they didn’t sign on with the Eagles this year?
Stats always tell the whole story in every situation.
How did Nelson stack up.to those 6 guy?
Ok – non sarcastic version.
I watched it. Believe me I did. I watch tape on all major free agency signings we get.
Are you putting zero stock into what he was working with?
Joe Flacco was very disappointed that we got him – he wanted him back. I trust first hand experience and relationships from the vantage of Superbowl champ QBs.
Smith was unanimously talented early in his career, and i think it’s very reasonable to suggest that he probably isn’t nearly as bad as he looked in san fran. Horrible setting to play for – just look at how that team crumbled over the time he was there.
Smith or Nelson? How many game winning touchdowns did Smith have called back because he lined up wrong? How many times did he refuse to extend his arms to make a catch wrongly thinking someone was going to hit him?
I actually have no clue but Nelson has done nothing but show he is a bust. Sure let him have a shot at a good camp, but he has to be a totally different guy to even make.the team.
He’s already had twice as many drops as anyone else according to a report
If he has tiny hands than he has zero chance and never should have been drafted in the first place
If i were head scout … yup
If i wwere head chief scout id only draft huge speedy recievers WITH huge hands
Yup
“A report” was a report from a single day in practice.
Hear me now, believe me later. Agholor has more starts than Torrey Smith, easily.
Yeah but how lame (and non shocking) was it to see him with twice as many drops as anyone else …or already leading the team in drops. . By double …
Yes, 2 is “double” 1. This so-called stat you are harping on is quite literally insignificant.
I know.. quite lame. . I am half of 2 kidding
I want to beleeeeeve ya
Nelson Agholor and threat in the same sentence?
Nelson Agholor is a threat to the sanity of every male above age 8 in the city of Philadelphia.
sup
Maybe Howie knew this would happen, which would explain the recent Mcleod restructuring…?
He used that money to sign Derek Barnett like 2 days after that happened.
We sure about that? I thought rookie money was set aside.
I still feel like if the team is not planning on re-signing Jordan Matthews then we could still trade him ( 3rd round pick in 2018 ?) and at least get something for him now rather than let him go for nothing after the season. Then we could sign Maclin and release Smith. I am one of the few people who believe Nelson Agholor may actually be ready to be productive this year and playing him in the slot might be a good place for him if we had Jeffery and Maclin on the outside. The team always says they are looking for ways to improve the 53 man roster. If Maclin’s price was not too crazy ( say 1yr 6 mil ) then we should at least consider the possibility.
A 3rd rounder for Matthews would be a dream. I’d take a 4th in a heart beat. Don’t know if that’s realistic, though. Matthews is still young (will be his age-25 season) and has stats + nobody can question his character. That’s the plus. The negative is that he can’t play on the outside and has costful drops. And he wants a good contract next year. We had him for cheap for 3 years. The team who trades for him would only have 1 cheap year.
That being said: the Ravens could need a Slot Receiver. They have Wallace and Perriman for the outside (which is far from ideal to begin with), but not a real threat in the slot. They could just sign Maclin, though.
Trading Matthews for a 4th and signing Maclin to replace him would be a big time boss move from Howie. Maclin would then be the starter with inside-outside versatility. In 3 WR sets, Smith (or Hollins or even Aghs, though I heavily doubt that) comes in and plays outside, Maclin in the slot. In 2 WR sets, Maclin plays opposite of Jeffery.
I very much doubt this will happen, though.
Scenarios where Nelson is on the team amd Jordan isnt, do not improve the team.
Chiefs cut Cathy Griffin also
Return of the Mac(k)
I like Torrey Smith and I strongly believe he’ll make an impact this season, whether it’s here or if he’s cut and finds himself back in Baltimore or god forbid Dallas.
However, I think it simply comes down to whether or not we can afford Maclin. Our team would be better with Alshon and Maclin than it would be with Alshon and Smith. Maclin has the added benefit of being able to serve as a true WR1 should Alshon be unavailable for any portion of the season.
Further, I don’t think Smith is safe even if we don’t pursue Maclin. Nelson Agholor may never be as good as Torrey Smith is, but being across from Alshon would alleviate a ton of pressure for him. I think his floor in this offense is serviceable.
We also drafted two other guys who can be deep threats. If the Eagles like Hollins and Gibson enough, all of those factors plus the cap savings could point to Smith not being on the roster before the season starts.
The Eagles like Gibson and Hollins but they aren’t going to take Smith’s spot at any point this season esspecially this off-season. Both are still raw with Gibson being even more so. The plan is to definitely let them learn behind our vets this year. If they progress then let them get some snaps on O, but they definitely aren’t going to be starting.
While most including me consider both wideouts to be a steal where we got them in the draft, there is a reason as to why we got them where we got them. That reason is general inexperience. Both of them can get down the field in a hurry, but they really need to work on other aspects of their game. Hence Hollins saying how he doesn’t want to be known as strictly a downfield player.
Not gonna happen
I dont even know why Mac got ink here. Silly.
I like Maclin and if he were released durring the start of FA the Birds would have probably preferred him over Smith and rightfully so. Now it just doesn’t make any sense. Plus it would be taking away reps from Hollins and Gibson.
It’s not going to happen, and it shouldn’t happen.
I liked Mac when he was here, but never thought he was worth the contract he signed in KC. Chiefs figured out he wasn’t worth $10 mil/yr, especially with Alex Smith throwing the ball.
He’ll be a good bargain for somebody (else hopefully) this year, interesting to see what happens in 10 months.
Does anyone know if there’s some offset with Maclins contract with the Chiefs. F.e. is this a case like Revis, were he can play for the Minimum while the Jets pay him a good salary?
That would be the first step for Maclin to come back imo. The Eagles don’t have much cap room. Can’t outbid many teams and shouldn’t, for that matter. But if there’s a situation where Maclin gets a good salary from the Chiefs and he could play for the minimum without really losing money, then it would come down to where he really wants to play. And that could be Philly.
Howie would bascially have to make a move if Maclin would indeed come back (I doubt this will happen, to be clear).
Right now there are 5 bascially locks to make the 53:
Jeffery
Smith
Matthews
Hollins
Aghs (basically can’t cut him)
I don’t think Howie will risk losing a 5th rounder like Gibson. I think they will go WR heavy with 6 WR.
If they would really sign Maclin, that would either mean to cut Smith or to trade Matthews. If that’d be the case, I clearly prefer to trade Matthews, as long as it wouldn’t be a 6th or 7th rounder in return. A 5th would be the minimum, a 4th would be good. 3rd a dream, obviously, but that’s not going to happen.
And yes, all of a sudden the Eagles would be pretty old at WR. But at the same time, Jeffery will play his age-27 season, he’s in his prime. Maclin age-29 season, Smith age-28 season. Not exactly a retirement home. Plus there are Hollins and Gibson.
Signing Maclin could hurt the progression of Gibson and Hollins. Say you do trade Mathews, do you really think Maclin will want to come here to play slot? He will view that as a demotion in which in reality it is, especially if DP plans on using more 2 TE sets this year.
Regardless if Maclin is still getting paid by the Cheifs do you really think at his age he is going to want to come here to compete for an outside spot or play slot at a minimum pay rate? Hell no. Regardless if he is getting paid by the Cheifs or not he is going to get as much money as he possibly can. If any agent settles for less money because his client is still getting paid by a previous team then that agent needs to get his license revoked.
I meant the Revis situation. If Revis doesn’t sign for an absurd amount of money for a new team, which he’ll never get, he’ll get paid from the Jets regardless. He can play for the minimum because he wouldn’t gain anything by playing for 3m. He’d get less from the Jets in that scenario. The Jets will pay up to x millions. Everything under that amount and he will simply get the same. Why hurt the chances of your new team by demanding more than the minimum if there isn’t more money in your pocket?
If that would be true for Maclin, too, he should play for the minimum. For the team he wants to play for.
Also, Maclin would be the #2 WR. He’d play Slot in 3 WR sets, but outside in base. I’d be pretty sure about that. So no need to focus on “slot WR”. He’d play around 80 to 90 percent of the snaps. That’s all that matters for a player.
Maclin has no guaranteed money left on his contract. So no, there is nothing where the Chiefs would pay any of his contract. If he’s claimed off waivers, the Eagles would owe his 10 million salary this year, unless they cut him before the season.
If he passes through waivers he’s a free agent and he will get paid whatever he can get from a new team. The Chiefs gave him a $12 million signing bonus, a $1 million salary his first year, and a $10 million salary his second year. So, Maclin got $23 million over two years from the Chiefs, but he won’t be getting any more from them.
Since it’s after June 1, the Chiefs will have $2.4 million of dead cap for Maclin this year, and $4.8 next year, which is the prorated signing bonus which has not yet accrued to the cap.
Unless he can find a desperate team with lots of cap room left, not sure he’ll make a lot this year — it’s hard to sign big contracts this time of year. He may prefer a 1-year deal for as much as he can get, so he can be a free agent next year. Don’t think the Eagles are in the running for something like that though. They would have to sign him for peanuts this year, then huge guaranteed contracts in future years (to make him give up being a future free agent) — and the Eagles likely have enough payments already rolled forward to make that seriously unlikely. If the Eagles find a way to trade Kendricks and/or Kelce, or decide to cut Smith instead, that may give them enough room for a 1-year deal. But I think the Eagles have made their WR moves for this off-season.
Thank you for the cap analysis. That makes it very unrealistic he signs with the Eagles. There would have to be no market for him and I don’t see it. Tommy named a few WR needy teams who would pay him more imo.
I don’t think Maclin will play slot, he’s much more of a threat outside compared to Smith. Smith isn’t a lock to be a starter and guys like Hollins/Gibson could play slot if they win that job.
Why can’t the Eagles run a lot more 4 wide out sets? I know they didn’t last year, but talent-wise they should have only had two wrs out there. Point is, coaches should use the talent they have and create plays around that. To me its lazy coaching. Give me the best guys you can get and I’ll make sure they are on the field. There are a lot of plays to steal in the NFLs history.
Not saying that they can’t since Doug will hopefully learn and adjust his scheme with whatever he has. It’s a matter of cap space. I’m not sure why people have Smith as a lock to start. He had 2 miserable seasons and was also a part of a worse WR group than we had. His contract is the easiest to get out of and he’s the most expensive compared to the rest of the WRs not named Alshon on the roster.
My comment/mini rant wasn’t directed at you so much as to the general idea that Mac and Smith couldn’t get on the field together. It could have been a separate post. I agree Smith shouldn’t be a lock to start, and that’s part of the reason I like the idea of picking up Maclin, but its a shame the cap space is such an issue.
I’d enjoy some of those at times, I just wish they had an ability to run more 2 TEs sets, but that doesn’t appear to be in cards with the current TE group. So we might see a lot of 4 wide, but that takes Ertz off of the field.
Could hurt the progression of rookies? You really think a decision would be made by that claim? Zero chance. That would be like question 20 in a list of question in even considering him. IF the Eagles act on what they preach…maclin was a 2 second thought…unproven commodity vs. Established productive? Come on….Mac not being here has nothing to do with those 2….
A man can dream.
Is Urlacher available?
Boldin is…ha
I think Maclin joins a team with a chance to make the playoffs that needs a wide receiver. The Eagles are not that team, as cited by many commenters below. If he’s available should one of the five go down, sure, give him a shot.
Dallas.
He just got cut out of a situation with a game manager at QB, not sure why he’d go back to another one.
Because they are good and he thinks there could be progression from the rook?
That would be a foolish thought. Dallas sucks. Dak sucks.
Maclin got cut by the team he screwed the Eagles over for?
good riddance!
You can’t blame him for wanting to get away from Chip. Kelly probably would have cut him at some point too.
Organisations are allowed to make business decisions but players are not?
How did he screw the Eagles over?
I’m not seeing that angle, he left for: more money, ability to play closer to home, and play for his old coach. Seems like a no-brainer.
Eagles paid Maclin to self tackle himself into injuries and sitting out seasons. If he loved the Eagles he would have accepted their offer. instead, he shopped it to KC for a few dollars more and a weak armed QB.
the guy has no loyalty and is constantly hurt. i, for one, am happy that Reid screwed over Maclin. Karma can be a bitch.
I’m ALL for flaming guys over missing time, but I can’t blame Maclin for taking the best deal.
He’s not free. . He’s 10 mil
I have no interest in Maclin this year. Last year, he would have immediately been our #1 receiver.
We’ve got Jeffery, Smith, Hollins, and Gibson in to go with last year’s dregs. There’s plenty of competition and Maclin isn’t necessary.
I never liked him much anyway. He’s a wimp.
I preferred him to Desean. Liked him a lot. Probably doesn’t make sense here anymore.
if you offer Maclin a deal, no doubt he shops it around the league
Is that a bad thing?
Well yeah he has an agent and it’s his exact job to do that exact thing.
I would rather give Maclin 8 mil a year instead of Matthews but that’s if Maclin would take 8mil a year. It’ll be a significant upgrade if Maclin could stay healthy but this is a lot of ifs going on so I doubt we have any real interest in resigning him.
No one is giving J Matt 8 mill a yr. Feels more like a 3 year 18 mil type of guy.
The Rams would.
If someone is crazy and wants to over pay there is nothing we can do about that. They didn’t keep Kenny Britt around. Not so sure I totally agree with this.
Maclin to Philly?? … Will. Not. Happen.
However I understand that T.O. has kept himself in good shape! …
I’d be up for a season of TO .. but he drops alot and doesnt like to get hit. .. no chance that’s changed for the better
When Maclin played here, he was disliked and under appreciated, then he left and everyone lamented how we let a home grown talent get away.
It feels to me like we should complete the process of repeating that mistake with Matthews before we talk about bringing Maclin back for another round.
2015: We shouldn’t overpay for Maclin, he isn’t a real #1 WR
2016: Matthews is overrated, we need a real #1 WR
2017: We shouldn’t overpay Alshon, we need a cheaper #1 WR
2018: Hollins is overrated, we need a #1 WR
2019: We shouldn’t overpay for ________ , he isn’t a real #1 WR
2014: We shouldn’t have cut DeSean, thus initiating this vile chain of events.
Chip Kelly is a donkey
Cute, but I have to say… these collages of statements by different people to form a narrative that collectively somehow makes everyone look dumb are pretty cheap, aren’t they?
Uh what? Sorry that my own thoughts at the time somehow offended you?
Oh, I thought you were doing that thing where you took a bunch of unrelated statements made by different people and stringing them together to show that people on the board/Eagles fans/people in general are irrational and stupid.
I’ve never seen that before then again listening to 97.5 on the way to and from work just gave me mental images of what that would be like.
Funny how many people blamed the Eagles for letting Maclin walk, now KC agrees they paid too much.
To be fair, Maclin would have been a great fit at a time, and his production in KC needs to be put in the context of the offense KC ran, and the fact that Alex Smith can’t throw more than 7 yards.
They have a QB who isnt going to get the most out of Maclin and a bunch of young WRs they are confident in going forward.
So, exactly like the Eagles when they let him go? 😉
Why not?
It doesn’t mean it was the right decision for the Eagles at the time.
I think the chiefs overpaid. Kelly is to blame for getting rid of djax, and not finding/developing cheaper replacements at wr.
That’s exactly it. Jackson should have never been cut, goo for Maclin for finding somebody to overpay him, and shame on Kelly for not adding to the WR mix in a successful way.
Yeah I was disappointed when Maclin left, but it was a dream situation for him going back to playing for Andy and getting paid. Can’t blame him, especially after finding out how terrible of a coach/wannabe GM Kelly was.
Guys get so few chances to make that type of money, I wouldn’t say no to it either.
Nope not one bit. Cant believe there are some here who would blame him.
No, but it was a reasonable one. Drafting Marcus Smith was something fans can rightfully complain about. Ditching veterans who are about to get too much on the open market is something the team deserves the benefit of the doubt on. Good teams don’t overpay.
The contract Maclin got was at the high end of his worth, but inside of the value. Story had it he was willing to accept our offer for slightly less but Chip was a social moron, and he didn’t feel wanted.
Is anyone neutral on Chip? 😉
I sure hope not! I did think after he dismantled the team he should of been given one more year to build it back up. Since he didn’t get it, I’m just upset he dismantled it at all.
I don’t think it was reasonable, given the context of unloading all the veteran offensive stars at the time and replacing them with trash. It was reasonable in the context of a sensible overall strategy of a fiscally responsible team with some ability at scouting–but that wasn’t the case.
Catch-22. If you are making moves based on believing that your organization sucks at something like scouting, just give up and move on to a new job.
Uh… I think Job #1 for Howie is survival, and he doesn’t suck at it.
It wasn’t a mistake by the Eagles. Eagles made him a competitive offer but he took the most money from the Chiefs.
Cutting Jackson for nothing was the foolish move but it almost got tons of support from the fans and on here too at the time.
Cutting Jackson was a good move, he wasn’t worth over 10 mill.
I’ll remain in opposition the Jackson cut. His presence on the field dictated coverage on every play and made the QB’s job in reading the D significantly easier. Wentz’s ability to attempt to throw guys open in what looks like good coverage would have benefited both the team and Jackson.
Jackson is a player who tends to create extreme opinions, even if you just focus on his on the field abilities. My opinion is that what he does well makes for great highlights, and what he does poorly is not readily observed by fans. As a coach, players like him bother me. But I understand why fans, even knowledgeable ones, like what he brings.
If they can trade Jordan then I am all for it. Maclin would be an immediate upgrade from the slot and could move outside if needed. Maclin, Torrey, and Hollins would rotate on the outside. Gibson if activated could rotate in. Maybe Maclin could help Ags out since they have a similar body type and skill set.
I don’t think the Eagles are interested in a one year deal though. It would have to be a 3-4 deal with the first two years as guaranteed. Basically a two year deal for insurance against Alshon and the development of the rookies and Ags.
If Gibson shows something during camp and preseason he might bump Torrey.
Alshon, Maclin, Hollins, Gibson, Agholor: All five can dress. Gibson might be able to take the return duties on kickoffs.
Maclin: Mac Daddy, Big Mac
Hollins: Mac Baby, Little Mac
Maclin and Hollins: Mac Attack
Maclin knows the offense well and makes a lot more sense than Smith as WR2. I just don’t see how the Eagles sign. Already have little cap space and despite some claims on here aren’t in a great place next year either even if they release a few veterans still on the team by then.
I think Maclin is a better overall player, but not sure he is the deep threat that Smith is, which I think is the primary reason Smith is here. Smith won’t be a high-volume receiver, but his YPC will be much higher than most others. He was usually 16-17 YPC with the Ravens; with SF he had one year of 20 and one year of 13. Maclin has generally been in the 12-13 range his whole career (with a high of 15 the one year in Chip’s offense). Of course, Maclin will make a lot more catches than Smith. Different types of receiver to me, and not sure you really can replace one with the other.
It’s entirely possible that Hollins will turn into the type of receiver that Smith is, allowing us to cut Smith loose — but I wouldn’t count on that happening until at least next off-season. Smith is signed to a reasonable contract going forward if he makes an impact, and not sure the team wants to throw that away either.
Would have loved Maclin on last year’s team. But they have invested quite a bit in WR this year, and not sure it leaves a good spot for Maclin, as much as I’d like to have him back. That, plus a horrid salary cap fit at the moment. But who knows… maybe Maclin plays a year somewhere else, the Eagles lose a few WRs next offseason, which makes it a reasonable match then.
I think Maclin would make the most sense as a Viking due to their almost playoff status and background working with Shurmur.
How can so many people on here say the Eagles wouldn’t benefit from Maclin?
There are that many people convinced Torrey Smith, the guys they drafted, and the holdover refuse are better options (contract and salary cap issues aside)?
Just don’t see how it works unless the Eagles unload Mathews and I’m actually upbeat he’ll have a very productive year in the slot. Just needs to stay healthy.
We all could benefit from an extra private jet, lambo, and butler….
“(contract and salary cap issues aside)?”
Those aren’t really asides. I hear you from a talent standpoint, but we’re trying to build a solid roster around a franchise QB. If the price is right on Maclin, I guess he makes sense. But I doubt the price will be right.
I added about the need to trade Matthews. Just not crazy about Smith and what he’ll give the Eagles this year.
Strikes me as a ‘Dream Team’ type bust this year.
I think you’re looking at a 50 catch type player with a very high yards per catch average. Certainly not a world beater.
If Smith does that and has a few long TDs, he’ll have been a very good signing.
Irrational optimism about the new guys, the taint that comes from being cut loose from his old team (that only applies to Maclin but not Smith for some odd reason), selective memory about Maclin’s performance as an Eagle, green-tinged glasses.
Self-tacklin’ Maclin?
It seems like the Matthews gets too much flak for his year last year. I understand recency bias and all. I just don’t get the love or thought process on how Torrey Smith is a good fit at WR2.
His crappy performance the last 2 years gets chalked up to ‘it’s the 49ers.’ That is certainly part of it but I bet starting even in camp he is going to be underwhelming. Honestly hoping that the guys the Eagles drafted or some how Agholor gives the Eagles something this year outside because I’m not expecting much from Smith.
Smith is here for a very particular skill set; the deep bomb type catch. I don’t think people are here talking up Smith as an 80 / 1200 / 12 type guy, rather they see him as a vital compliment to what we already have and/or can more easily get in the passing game.
I think the Matthews flak is being driven by the fact that the WR free agent market is sticker shocking the heck out of a lot of us. I have a hard time fathoming Matthews, in and of himself, being worth a 5 year / $40 million deal when I look at his production vs. his limitations (key drops, slot-only type skills). So if they’re able to get a good return for the guy (2018 3rd rounder) rather than risk losing him for a maybe comp pick while we’ve got other guys on the roster who we think can produce, its easy to want to turn the page on Matthews.
Don’t think Smith catches even 30 balls this year. I understand what you are saying about Mathews and the Eagles’ heaistation to play a slot receiver those kind of dollars.
30 is awfully low. Even DGB caught more than that last year. I think he falls between around 50
Hence why I see him being a disappointment. If Mathews is healthy and if Jeffrey lives up to his billing, that alone will be a huge number of balls caught by the wide outs.
I see Smith’s production being cut into from that alone.
Oversimplification on Smith. Granted, this is all speculation. But I think he’s a solid outside receiver vet who yes, can be a deep bomb guy, but he’s a more well rounded – almost like Crabtree (in terms of ceiling) from last year. Can run more routes than just the deep post or go, and should be more reliable than just a “speed guy”. Obviously we have more prominent weapons that we want to feature more, but I think you’re reducing him to just surface level bee ess.
I am in the Jordan camp as well, but it has actually been the last 2 years that he has preformed under expectations. I think he pops off this year with all of the talent around him. These guys should really feed off of one another.
Smith was a very good receiver for his entire tenure on the Ravens. Things didn’t work out on the 9ers. It is a bit of a gamble, but if he returns to even a major fraction of what he was, he is EXACTLY the complimenting piece this 2017 offense needs.
With the presence of Nelson at the time of Smith’s signing, and intention to draft similar type receivers, Smith was really a great choice. Sure putting Nelson in the equation isn’t ideal, but they owe it to them selves to try and let the investment produce a return one last time.
Mac is one of those guys who can be counted on to make the tough catch. Maybe he doesn’t make the spectacular catch too often. But if Maclin is a good number two, it frees the Eagles to cut Matthews next year and if the rookies come along the Eagles should have good depth next year along with the possibility to resign Maclin and/or Jeffrey next year. Everyone has been wrong about the Eagles ability to fit contracts under the cap this year; so one more little trick by Howie might just squeeze Maclin onto the team without compromising the Eagles cap structure.
This is something that will never be said about Jordan Matthews, which is why he has no place earning big $ on a championship team.
“Jeremy Maclin finished with the best hands in the league at WR. Just one drop from 120 targets”
PFF (2016)
http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2016/1/4/10708474/jeremy-maclin-drops-worth-every-penny-kansas-city-chiefs
Look what I found
https://youtu.be/j3IktXJ35kw
Looks like hestuck with the wrong sport.