Philadelphia Eagles: Marken Michel is standing out in a crowded unit

The Philadelphia Eagles are stacked at wide receiver, but one roster hopeful in particular by the name of Marken Michel has been making a name for himself.

Remember back in 2016 when the Philadelphia Eagles’ best wide receiver was Jordan Matthews? Those were the days when it was easy for a roster hopeful, who plays wide receiver to make the final cuts. Nowadays, the odds are a lot tougher. For starters, the Eagles have Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson on the outside. Inside, they have Nelson Agholor as their primary slot.

Behind Agholor, the Eagles have their second-round draft pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside, and their former fourth-round pick, Mack Hollins. Beyond Hollins, there are hopefuls. Shelton Gibson hasn’t proved much to the Eagles, and at this point, his value is little to none.

Then there’s Charles Johnson, who shined in the now extinct AAF, trying to make his case to crack the roster at 30-years-old. Also, there’s Greg Ward, Braxton Miller, DeAndre Thompkins, etc. All guys who are more than likely to be released following the preseason with the exception of one or two of them. However, I failed to mention one specific player at the position, but for a good reason.

He goes by the name of Marken Michel. And in case you’re wondering — yes, Marken Michel is the brother of Sony, who was a first-round pick by the New England Patriots last season. While the Patriots might have the better brother, in this case, that doesn’t necessarily make Marken Michel a scrub. In fact, the 25-year-old, 2016 undrafted prospect has been putting on a show so far.

Michel is on the right path…

During voluntary OTAs, Michel had the opportunity to take advantage of some absences. With Jeffery taking extended time off, Agholor dealing with an injury, and Hollins still out, Michel had plenty of opportunities to build up a connection with both, Carson Wentz and Nate Sudfeld.

Now that everybody is back in the mix (minus Agholor) at mandatory minicamp, you would expect reps to be taken away from Michel. To our surprise, though, that doesn’t seem to be the case. It appears as though Michel’s progression in OTAs has left the Eagles’ coaching staff a bit curious about the five-foot-eleven-inch wideout, who’s making plays during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

Does this mean Michel becomes that final wideout to crack the roster in September? Not in the slightest. Not yet, at least. But the more Michel produces with the starters in practice, the more likely he will see an increased snap count in the preseason. That’s when Michel and the rest of the hopefuls need to show out the most. Every year there’s always a wideout who impresses in the preseason. But not every year that impressive wideout makes the final roster.

Michel could be just like the Greg Ward’s, the Bryce Treggs’, and the Paul Turner’s of the Eagles, but those guys didn’t precisely stand out on a team with more notable names in the mix. Michel, however, has made a name for himself in a crowded, and talented group. We’ll see just how much he wants to stand out in July and August though when the pads come on.