Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Matthews will have a major role right away

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews should expect to see a significant amount of targets right off the bat.

Typically, when an NFL team signs a free agent player midway through the season, it’s strictly for depth purposes. Rarely does a free agent, who gets inked to a one-year deal this late into the season garner a ton of reps on their respective side of the ball.

When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles, though, the circumstances are different. The once upon a time, best and ‘rich in depth’ wide receiver core is desperate. As DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery battle through injuries, the Eagles can’t really rely on Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside to step up and get the job done.

With Jackson on the reserve, the Eagles had a roster spot open and filled it with Jordan Matthews. We expected Matthews to get a solid handful of work in with the Birds this upcoming weekend, but it’s beginning to look like he has to play a much more prominent role than initially expected.

What’s going on at wideout?

Two weeks ago, Alshon Jeffery injured his ankle late in the game against the Bears. Fortunately, he had a week off to heal without practicing or playing in a game. But as Sunday approaches, Jeffery missed both practices this week so far. At this point, many are beginning to doubt that Jeffery will be available to play against the Patriots.

Just like that, Jordan Matthews could end up being the most reliable target from the group of wideouts. We expect the Eagles to utilize a heavy dose of running the ball, along with targeting the tight ends more often than not — but the offense needs to avoid being one-dimensional.

Therefore, one of the wideouts has to step up. We’ve already witnessed what the Eagles have in the other three guys — now it’s going to be Matthews’ time to shine for the Birds — whether we like it or not. The good news is that Matthews played decent for Philly last season on rotational reps. The bad news is that he doesn’t bring the key need to the Eagles offense, which is speed.

At this point though, the Eagles can settle for having a reliable pass-catcher. Hopefully, Matthews is at least up for that specific task. If not, then we can expect another long day on Sunday.