Has Nelson Agholor surpassed Alshon Jeffery as the Eagles #1 WR?
So far this season, Nelson Agholor has outperformed Alshon Jeffery.
The Philadelphia Eagles spent the offseason beefing up the wide receiver position. They did so to help their franchise signal caller Carson Wentz. The biggest acquisition was former Chicago Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery. The Eagles signed him with the idea that he would be Wentz’s go-to-guy.
Nelson Agholor on the other hand, is an interesting case. When the Eagles drafted the USC Trojans star in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, it seemed that they found their guy at receiver. During his first two seasons, it seemed that he was going to be a massive bust. Agholor was notorious for dropping the football. Despite his amazing talent, his drops affected him mentally. This essentially forced the Eagles to go out a spend the money on Jeffery.
Despite his dreadful first two seasons, Agholor has been a man on a mission! The third-year wide receiver received glowing reviews throughout training camp. Still, many pundits and fans were not buying into the hype. They were wanted to see if he could replicate his training camp success into the regular season. And boy has he done so early this season!
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Look at the numbers
Agholor has 16 receptions, 266 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. He is leads all Eagles wide receivers in receiving yards and is second in yards on the team behind tight end Zach Ertz. He is also the team’s leader in receiving touchdowns as well. In many ways, Agholor has outperformed Jeffery.
Though Jeffery has been productive, he isn’t setting the world on fire. He currently has 20 receptions, 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. The only thing that he has over Agholor besides receptions are targets. Jeffery has been targeted 38 times while Agholor has been targeted 23 times. Given the success rate, expect Wentz to target Agholor even more.
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Money could play a role
When Jeffery signed a 1 year, $14 million contract, he was gambling on himself in order to receive a lucrative long-term deal. He essentially wants top wide receiver money. If Agholor continues to outshine Jeffery, is it possible for the Eagles to move on from Jeffery? Is it possible that they resign Jeffery, but for far less money?
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As far as Agholor goes, he isn’t as expensive. Next season will be the final year of Agholor’s contract. According to Spotrac, he only costs $2,983,710. Its possible that the team picks up his fifth-year option as well. The Eagles have some time to figure out the future for Agholor. This brings up an important question. Why would the Eagles want to give top dollar to a guy who is being outperformed by someone who is cheaper?
Its still very early in the season. Who knows? Maybe Jeffery finally starts putting up big numbers? Maybe Agholor fizzles out? Time will tell. One thing is for sure. Agholor and Jeffery are helping out Wentz tremendously in the passing game.