Philadelphia Eagles can expect a big year from Mike Wallace
Philadelphia Eagles new wide receiver Mike Wallace is getting very comfortable with the defending Super Bowl Champions.
The Nova Care Complex is packed in with 90 guys at the moment. With the Philadelphia Eagles running OTAs for the next few weeks, there are more than just 53 hungry dogs in the locker room. There are superstar veterans, young guys looking to make an impact, and even younger guys who are just trying to make the team. One veteran, in particular, is looking to make a significant impact for the Eagles during year ten.
Former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace joined the Eagles a couple of months back. The 31-year-old receiver joined the team on a relatively cheap one-year deal. The Eagles didn’t have much to offer to the veteran speedster, but money wouldn’t be the deciding factor for his decision.
When Wallace touched down in Philly a couple of months back, he had no problem admitting that he left higher offers on the table to join the Super Bowl Champions. And while his motive is to clearly to get on a championship-ready roster, Wallace recognized that he had an opportunity to play with a quarterback that has definite potential to be great. Yes, he was talking about Eagles franchise quarterback Carson Wentz.
For Wentz he came:
As he held his introductory press conference back in March, Wallace fielded questions about his decision to join the Eagles. Naturally, everybody asked why he picked the Eagles outside of the Super Bowl win. Wallace, without hesitation, mentioned Wentz. Apparently, he was 99-percent of the reason why Wallace took his talents to Philly.
Bucks County Courier Times reporter Tom Moore caught up with the ten-year veteran recently. Once again, when the topic of Carson Wentz came up, Wallace spoke highly about the confidence he has in his new gunslinger without any hestiation. Here’s what he had to say:
"″(We have) so many weapons around us, (we like to stretch the field) and (have) a lot of strong arms, too,” he said with a smile. “It should be a great situation.”″(There’s) a young quarterback that can let it fly,” said Wallace, smiling again. “Everybody loves him. The whole league loves him. When you have an opportunity like that, why not? Not just Carson (Wentz) — look at the guys around him, the whole offense and the guys at every position. The defense that they have here can get you the ball (and) more opportunities for everybody.”"
An upgrade from last season?
Mike Wallace hasn’t exactly had a Hall of Fame career in his first nine seasons. After experimenting with four different teams before joining the Eagles, he finally feels like he is in the right situation to win the Lombardi trophy. Despite being looked at as nothing more than a deep-threat though, Wallace can really become a tremendous addition to the Eagles wide receiver corps in 2018.
This may sound familiar to the Torrey Smith acquisition from last season, but it really isn’t close. Wallace is an upgrade over Smith. Plain and simple. In fact, his yardage numbers compare reasonably well with Eagles number one target, Alshon Jeffery.
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The bottom line is that Wallace can surely benefit from a quarterback like Wentz throwing to him. And with Wallace in his arsenal, Wentz has a surefire deep threat that hasn’t necessarily missed a step in his role. Will Wallace get to hold up the Lombardi this year? Only time will tell. And as of right now, the Eagles continue to upgrade at multiple positions. Including wide receiver.