Could Jordan Matthews’ absence affect his spot on the depth chart?

Jordan Matthews has been diagnosed with knee tendinitis, sidelining him for majority of voluntary and mandatory minicamp.

The Philadelphia Eagles are finally on the final phase of OTAs. While most players have been stellar, some players have showed a lot more progress. Unfortunately for Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews, he was not able to showcase any sort of offseason progression. He was diagnosed with knee tendinitis at the beginning of voluntary workouts. While Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told the media it is not serious, they will still keep him sidelined until he is 100 percent.

Matthews will be heading into his fourth season with the Eagles. This season could arguably be his most important, as he is in the final year of his contract. Unfortunately, the Eagles do not have much wiggle room for signing players to big contracts at the moment. As a matter of fact, it was reported that the Eagles were open to shipping him off to another team during free agency.

There is a good chance that Matthews completes the 2017 season as an Eagle, but there is no telling where he ends up afterwords. Matthews has had some flashes of a good receiver in the past three seasons, but has gone missing in games occasionally as well. Some could argue that he had no help around him, but that argument can only go so far when discussing big contracts.

Philadelphia Eagles

New Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery has made it complicated for other players who are playing for an extension. He signed a one-year deal to take a gamble on himself. The Eagles brought Jeffery in to be the clear No.1 target and game-changing receiver. Unfortunately for Matthews, he has not been able to prove he is anything more than a slot receiver. If Jeffery proves that he has more value than Matthews, he would obviously win the big contract.

Jeffery hasn’t been the only threat to Matthews’ future, though. Former first-round pick Nelson Agholor has gained quite the buzz this offseason. With Matthews missing time, Agholor has been getting plenty of work done with the first-team offense. Surprisingly, he has shined with every opportunity given to him this offseason.

Obviously, it is hard to tell what the depth chart could look like based off of OTAs. But expect some competition at the slot position as Matthews fights for a contract and Agholor is working to silence the doubters. So far Matthews has not been able to make a case for himself because of his injury, but he needs to show up at camp and be 100 percent to benefit his future.