Doug Pederson on the Eagles’ receiving corps: “I see improvements every single day”
Head coach Doug Pederson addressed the media on Tuesday following the final official day of training camp and discussed, among other things, the receivers.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson played quarterback in the NFL for 12 seasons. He knows the importance of the wide receiver position. Adding to that, this team has had as close to a makeover as you can have. Fans of this team are hoping it pays off.
Rueben Randle, Chris Givens and T.J. Graham were all forced to fill out “change of address forms”. Graham may not be on the team at the end of the pre-season. Still, this all falls right in line with Pederson’s theory on competition.
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“All along, my stance has always been about competition at every position. Obviously it goes back to the quarterback issue earlier in the spring, and this is no different. We’re always constantly looking…For us, we just have to continue to evaluate every position and when we can get players in here that can compete, we want to do that and we want to take advantage of these situations and this is one of those times.” said the first year head coach.
To drive the point home, he also added, “Our receivers are learning every single day. They’re working hard every day and I see improvements every single day…From the game to our practice the other night at (Lincoln Financial Field) I saw a little bit of a faster tempo. I saw speed. I saw it today – receivers are making strides and really catching the football today. It’s that process that takes time – the quarterback getting used to the receiver and the receiver getting used to the quarterback.”
The team’s receiving corps has already been viewed by many as one of the weakest units. Tuesday, the Eagles attempted to cure that by adding Dorial Green-Beckham. Calling the move a splash may be a stretch, but it is worth discussing. “DGB” may have been seen as first round talent if not for his off-field issues in college, and he was once one of the top recruits in the country at the wide receiver position.
Concerning their new addition, Pederson stated “(He’s a) big, tall, strong, physical receiver. He can make plays….There’s not a ton of current game film on him, so we had to dive back into his history a little bit to watch some of his games, and I really liked him. I’m really intrigued with him, obviously his size and speed, and I’m looking forward to getting him in here and getting him going.” Check out an excerpt by clicking here if you missed the coach’s most recent press conference.
Related Story: Breaking News: Dorial Green-Beckham joins the Philadelphia Eagles)
Pederson, like many, sees Green-Beckham as a potential threat in the red-zone stating “In the red zone, you go back and watch some tape and he’s got a good vertical leap, he can elevate quickly and he can get over the top of defenders, which is sort of a comfort for the quarterback to just be able to put the ball in his area, but until we really get him in here and see what he can do physically, we’ll wait until that point.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Eagles at Heinz Field on Thursday night.