Philadelphia Eagles: Torrey Smith continues to struggle
Are the Philadelphia Eagles getting a good value after signing free-agent wide receiver Torrey Smith to a three-year, $15 million contract?
Some would say that the Philadelphia Eagles had the worst corps of wide receivers in the NFL in 2016.
Okay, many would say that.
To their credit, the Eagles made some moves in the off-season to correct that problem for young franchise quarterback Carson Wentz.
The biggest pass-catcher brought in was obviously Alshon Jeffery, who might not be around for a long time. His one-year, $9.5 million deal signed just months ago puts him in that over-priced rental category, at least for now.
More from Inside the Iggles
- Eagles LB Nakobe Dean jokingly makes his pitch for an assistant GM role
- Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
- How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
- Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
- Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award
Which bring us to another free-agent acquisition that might bear more fruit in the long term than Jeffery.
The guy on the other side:
Torrey Smith was signed to a three-year, $15 million dollar deal from the San Francisco 49ers in March and he figures to play a role in stretching the field for the Philadelphia Eagles offense – but he hasn’t just yet.
Heading into week five, Smith has 10 catches for a total of 134 yards and zero touchdowns. For the money, it might seem like these totals are a little low, but when it comes to wide receivers, it’s not always the stats that tell the tale.
Defending the Birds:
How defenses play against Wentz and company when Smith is on the field is what really matters. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen a committee approach at running back that has worked much better, and as a result, the Eagles are 3-1 and sitting atop the NFC East.
So long as the Philadelphia offense maintains the current state of balance that it has, Smith’s acquisition makes sense and it’s not like there isn’t plenty of time for him to play a larger role in the offense. With five games remaining against NFC East rivals, Smith’s time will come.
Next: Pederson explains the running back rotation
The numbers:
I don’t spend too much time worrying about the fact that Smith’s numbers have been dropping over the last few seasons. Having spent the last two years in quarterback-crazy San Francisco, it’s not like any other wideouts have flourished in the Bay Area while not wearing silver and black.
Despite winning the Super bowl in 2012, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco hasn’t been consistent over the last several years. That helps to make it difficult to remember when Smith truly flourished as a pass-catcher in the NFL.
Having said that, Smith’s career average reception of almost 17 yards tells you how this player impacts an offense. No, he’s not going to catch 8-10 passes per game, but he doesn’t have to. Smith is the type of receiver who only needs to touch the football once in order to change a football game.
Far more than just a chain-mover, Smith’s time will come for the Philadelphia Eagles offense, which right now looks like it very well could be the best overall unit in the NFC East.