A WR Corps

The Eagles need to address WR in a big way in 2020. We all agree on that. How they go about doing that is up for debate.

There has been some recent talk that the team might go after Amari Cooper. He is the top available receiver so the team that needs receiver help the most would make sense as a suitor. Unfortunately things aren’t that simple. The Eagles already have a lot of money invested in Alshon Jeffery so this isn’t a situation they can just throw money at. I mean, they could, but it wouldn’t be wise.

There was a report the team could be interested in Demarcus Robinson, a role player for the Chiefs over the past four years. He would certainly make good sense from an economic standpoint. You just wonder how good of a player he is. Robby Anderson is a player that gets mentioned as an Eagles target on a regular basis. He has outstanding speed.

Michael Kist wrote a good piece for BGN on Breshad Perriman as a target for the Eagles. Perriman has a ton of upside and might be worth taking a gamble on.

The real key to this is for the Eagles to come up with a plan. They aren’t collecting talent. They need to find the right pieces.

Let’s assume that a CBA gets done in the coming weeks/months and the team is able to release Jeffery. We know Nelson Agholor is gone.

DeSean Jackson will be back. So will Greg Ward and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. That’s three receiver spots out of a group that usually is six deep.

Do the Eagles target two free agents and one player in the draft? Do they add one veteran and target multiple receivers in the draft?

Should the Eagles consider keeping seven receivers on the roster?

They need to have a plan.

If the Eagles were to go after someone like Perriman or Anderson, who are speed guys, that could affect their draft plans. Most people give the Eagles Henry Ruggs in mock drafts. Ruggs is the most explosive player in the draft and could be a dynamic player in the NFL. Do you load up on speed with him, Perriman/Anderson and DeSean?

Doug Pederson has seemed to prefer big receivers over the years. I’m not arguing for or against that, just noting it. If the Eagles do add a speed guy in free agency, maybe they focus more on size in the draft. There are some really interesting big receivers in this draft class.

It would be nice if the Eagles could count on a breakout season from the big receiver they already have on the roster, but Arcega-Whiteside didn’t show enough as a rookie to inspire much confidence. I hope he takes a huge step forward in 2020, but you can’t count on it.

There is a good chance the Eagles aren’t going to have a traditional #1 type receiver in the upcoming season. That would be okay. Carson Wentz was at his best in 2017 when he spread the ball around. He didn’t feed the ball to any one WR or TE. The offense changed from game to game, heck from series to series. That can be a very effective attack.

The Eagles will have Robert Davis, Deontay Burnett, Marken Michel, Shelton Gibson and Marcus Green as part of the 90-man roster. Davis and Burnett showed some potential late in the season and they could compete for roster spots. At the least, they offer some depth when the inevitable injury occurs.

The Eagles could also spend a late pick on a receiver, with the idea that guy might be practice squad material and someone to develop for the future.

It really is crazy to think back to September. The Eagles were considered to have the best group of receivers in the league. Alshon got old and then hurt. DeSean got hurt. Nelson fell apart. JJAW didn’t develop. Mack Hollins regressed. What a disastrous group that turned out to be.

There is a chance for a major turnaround. There are some free agent options. There might also be some trade options (Stefon Diggs?). The draft class is loaded and the Eagles have plenty of picks. It is up to Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson to put together a smart plan for the WR corps and then to go make the right moves.

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