The Philadelphia Eagles need a better wide receivers coach
Wide receivers coach Greg Lewis was a fan-favorite while a part of the Donovan McNabb era with the Philadelphia Eagles, but his tenure as a coach has not progressed as expected.
Greg Lewis played six seasons for the Eagles from 2003-2008. He recorded 127 receptions for 1,699 yards and seven touchdowns. He was known amongst the Eagles community for his sure hands and occasionally making a big catch down the field.
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Fans think of Lewis’ time in uniform fondly as some believe he was part of a receiving unit that wasn’t good. Former Eagle Terrell Owens was the lone shining star while Todd Pinkston was asked to occasionally resemble a solid number two receiver. Now Lewis serves as the Eagles’ wide receivers coach. Unfortunately, there are doubts about Lewis’ ability to mold the young core of receivers that Philly has, and that doesn’t come without reason.
The highlight of Lewis’ career came in Super Bowl XXXIX as he reeled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from McNabb. It was the first in franchise history for a wide receiver in the Super Bowl. After Doug Pederson was hired in the offseason, the former quarterback brought Lewis on, and since that moment, Lewis has worked with the team’s receivers, mainly focusing on the fixing last year’s constant issues with dropped passes.
Has the Eagles receiving corps improved?
Catching the football is the most important trait to Lewis, but it’s been the Achilles heel for the Eagles offense in 2016. Jordan Matthews, the team’s primary receiver, is second in the NFL with six drops. Nelson Agholor, a former first-round pick, has been unable to evolve under Lewis’ tutelage. Lewis, who once said he was impressed with Agholor after interviewing him at the 2015 NFL draft, hasn’t increased the young wideout’s ability to perform. Agholor was a healthy-scratch for the game on Monday night because of questions about his concentration following an awful drop and a penalty in the previous week. Agholor needs to be more effective. The Birds did spend a first round pick on the USC-product after all.
One of the most important responsibilities Lewis was charged with was polishing Dorial Green-Beckham when the Eagles landed him. Green-Beckham’s inability to run concise routes has hampered his ability to contribute to the passing game. This has hindered Carson Wentz on the field as well. There’s been too much inconsistency with Green-Beckham and the receivers.
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Is there a silver lining?
Philly’s leading receiver, Matthews, is 28th in the NFL in receiving yards. He leads the team in receptions, and is tied for 23rd in the entire league with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. What’s even more interesting is Matthews also leads the Eagles in receiving touchdowns. What’s unfortunate is he’s tied for 54th in the league in that category with three.
Unfortunately, Philly’s receiving unit hasn’t improved, and it doesn’t appear to be headed in the right direction after Green-Beckham’s awful pass-interference call on Monday and Agholor’s crippling illegal formation penalty from the week before. Lewis became a fan-favorite by making big plays; however, as a leader, he’s failing. The results being seen by his receivers are growing tiresome.