Eagles camp: Nelson Agholor may take over as starting slot receiver

Has Nelson Agholor passed Jordan Matthews on the Eagles depth chart?

Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, life and the Philadelphia Eagles throw you a curve ball. Daniel Jeremiah once held down the role of being an Eagles scout. That was from 2010 until 2012. Now, he holds down the honor of being one of the most trusted names on the NFL Network. He also hosts his Move the Sticks podcast on NFL.com with Bucky Brooks, and the August 4th edition shed a little light on what’s been going on with Nelson Agholor, amongst others.

The Eagles are experiencing one of the most intense battles seen at an Eagles camp in years. We’ve heard reports about Agholor shining at practice, but none of us expected what we heard this past Friday. Jeremiah believes Agholor will start at the slot receiver position this season. Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman considered Jeremiah to manage player personnel before settling on Joe Douglas. With that being said, comments made by Mr. Jeremiah probably hold a little more weight.

Here’s an excerpt from the podcast:

"Nelson Agholor has had a total rebirth. He’s going to live in the slot. He’s going to be their slot receiver. I’ll be shocked if he’s not. I don’t know what that means for Jordan Matthews. Agholor is a lot more dynamic. Last year, against the Seahawks, he just turned Richard Sherman inside out, but he dropped the ball. Getting separation was not his issue last year. Just being able to finish, and he was doing a nice job, and it sounds like he’s really focused…"

Jeremiah also commented on the possibility of the Eagles reducing the pressure on Agholor by adding other pieces:

"To me, the interesting thing is when you have a guy like last year with Nelson Agholor, you’re trying to force him to be a number two receiver. You really don’t even have a one. Maybe he’s trying to be the lead guy. Now you come in and say, ‘Look, you’re number three.’ It just puts everyone in the right pecking order and releases some of that pressure on these guys."

What this means for Jordan Matthews is anybody’s guess. Originally seen as the clear-cut choice to be the Eagles starting slot receiver, Matthews’ contract negotiations may be stalling. Then,  there’s been an emergence by the young Eagles receivers like Marcus Johnson, Greg Ward Jr., Mack Hollins and Bryce Treggs, among others.

We’re a long way from September 10th, but things are off to a flying start for Agholor.