Jordan Matthews was a productive wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles in the first three years of his career, but why did things go off course so quickly?
From 2014-16, Jordan Matthews was a consistent and productive piece for the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense, but unfortunately the front office decided to address the pressing need for a cornerback prior to the 2017 season.
As fans remember, Matthews was traded along with a third-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for cornerback Ronald Darby that year to help the defense improve at the cornerback position.
Darby was an upgrade from the current options at corner and played better earlier in his career than he does now. However, it was still tough to see such a consistent performer and great locker room presence like Matthews have to pack his bags.
With Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, and Nelson Agholor playing well in 2017, it was probably best that No. 81 found a new home where he would get more reps.
Most of us expected that Matthews would find a way to contribute in a big way while in Buffalo, but unfortunately for the Bills, his situation got worse after he was traded and began his decline.
Injuries plagued Matthews that season along with a decrease in snaps compared to what he was getting in Philly.
Despite all this, Matthews still entered free agency the following year with three successful seasons to his name.
Surprisingly enough, that didn’t help Jordan get any big offers and things just got worse for the wideout. He bounced around on a couple of different teams for the next few years, including a couple of returns to Philadelphia, but never figured things out again.
It’s not too often players burst onto the scene like “Jmatt” did and then fall off the map so quickly.
To have a little fun, let’s take a look back at Matthews career so far and see where things went wrong for the wideout.
What a start it was
In one of the deepest wide receiver draft classes in recent history, the Eagles selected Matthews in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
With the Eagles previously moving on from both DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant, there were big expectations surrounding Matthews, as he would have to compete with fellow rookie Josh Huff for the third receiver spot behind Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper.
Luckily for Philadelphia, Matthews didn’t disappoint as a rookie after playing in all 16 games while racking up 872 yards and eight touchdowns on 67 catches, earning a 72.2 grade from Pro Football Focus.
Matthews also had three 100-yard performances in his rookie season, one of which came on a big Monday Night Football game in Week 10.
After Nick Foles suffered a broken collarbone, Mark Sanchez was making his first start as a member of the Eagles in a primetime game.
Sitting at 6-2, the Eagles need to continue their momentum and they did just that during a 45-21 win over the Carolina Panthers that helped Philadelphia improve to 5-0 at home.
During the win, Matthews collected 138 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. This was a signature game where we really saw what Matthews was made of, and it was quite the night for Sanchez as well after the quarterback celebrated at Geno’s Steaks following the game.
A man on a mission
One year later, Matthews fell just three yards short of a 1,000-yard season and put up eight touchdowns once again. The 85 receptions by Matthews ranked 15th in the NFL, and he was one of the lone bright spots in an overall disappointing season.
This season also featured another big performance under the bright lights for Matthews as well.
After losing to the hated Dallas Cowboys in Week 2, the Eagles needed to get revenge against Jerry Jones and company
In Week 9, Matthews was a man on a mission that night after finishing with 133 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine catches.
What made this performance even more memorable for Matthews was that touchdown catch gave Philadelphia the walk-off win in overtime.
2016 was another significant year in which Matthews would need to step up as the top target for rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. It wasn’t perfect, but Matthews didn’t have a bad year by any means after picking up 804 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 73 receptions.
There were some more frequent drops here and there, but it was still another successful season for Matthews from an overall perspective. He also helped Wentz get comfortable early on in his NFL debut that year by hauling in seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Matthews established himself as a guy who could be relied upon both out of the slot and on the outside. Matthews might not have been a No. 1 caliber receiver, but he was certainly a respectable second or third option to work with in the passing game.
The trade that changed everything
Wentz was heading into his second NFL season in 2017 with a revamped receiving core. Despite the new additions, Matthews was the only receiver who had built chemistry with Wentz, and it felt like the Eagles were gearing up for a big season.
That didn’t change, but Matthews’ status on the roster did.
The cornerback position had been an issue for a while and Howie Roseman decided to make a move for Darby from the Bills during the preseason.
Unfortunately, Matthews was given up as part of the exchange for Darby along with a third-round pick. Matthews had to learn a new scheme within a matter of weeks and was expected to perform right away in Buffalo, but would end up suffering multiple injuries throughout the season and ended up playing in just 10 games, putting up only 282 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Matthews first three seasons were still a solid selling point as he entered free agency the following year, but the injuries and the sudden decline in production hurt his market. He signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, but didn’t even make it out of training camp.
Just a few weeks into the season, Matthews returned to a Philadelphia squad desperate for receivers.
As the Eagles would learn, Matthews wasn’t the same receiver he used to be. This was largely a result of playing just 32 percent of the Eagles’ offensive snaps.
Maybe if the Eagles had given Matthews more of a chance to get comfortable in the offense again he would have been able to produce more in the passing game. Golden Tate was clearly not the answer as the third receiver, and Matthews could have become the player he once was if given the chance.
Matthews failed to take advantage of the opportunities he was given. Despite being targeted just 28 times, he snagged 20 of those targets for 300 yards and two touchdowns that season. Matthews was a big part of the Week 8 win that year against the Jacksonville Jaguars with 93 yards, and also had a huge 37-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the Divisional Round matchup with the New Orleans Saints, showing up in the big moment once again.
With all this in mind, it seemed like Matthews would be able to earn another shot as a starter in the NFL.
This past season
After showing flashes of his former self, Matthews got picked up early on in free agency last year by signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Unfortunately for Matthews, the 49ers started the year with veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin atop the depth chart along with young guys like Deebo Samuel and Dante Pettis. They also brought in Emmanuel Sanders midseason.
There wasn’t much room for Matthews, and he didn’t make the final roster cuts. Even though Matthews was re-signed and released a few times during the fall, things would end up just like 2018 when he ended up back in Philly once again.
This time, Matthews was signed a little bit later in the season after joining the team in Week 11. With the receiver position depleted with injuries, Matthews played the majority of the offensive snaps.
In Week 11, Matthews only had one catch for six yards. The following week, Matthews got a little bit more involved with three catches for 27 yards, as these were two of the toughest matchups of the regular season with the Eagles facing the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots.
However, for some reason, the Eagles decided they had seen enough and released Matthews.
This move is still mind-boggling to this day. Philadelphia did figure things out towards the end of the regular season, but they really could have used Matthews down the stretch. Greg Ward Jr. emerged as a reliable receiver, but J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Robert Davis, and Deontay Burnett all struggled to produce.
Matthews has more NFL experience than all three of those guys combined and is familiar with Pederson’s scheme. In the Week 14 win over the New York Giants, the injuries piled up and the Eagles were down to Ward as their only healthy receiver at one point during the game.
Clearly, Philadelphia could have used some extra depth with someone like Matthews.
Even if Matthews just contributed a few catches each game, that would’ve been an upgrade from the guys on the roster. Plus, who knows if Matthews would have become more comfortable and improved as the season went on.
The 49ers brought Matthews back after the Eagles released him, and he did get to stick with them for the playoff run, but didn’t get to suit up. Now, Matthews is currently a free agent again, and still in search of his next team.
Closing thoughts
Matthews was never given a fair shake of things after 2016. The Bills’ scheme was a lot different to learn, and they didn’t prioritize integrating him into the game plan too often. The injuries also didn’t help his case.
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The Patriots gave up on Matthews before the preseason even started and when he came back to Philly, they didn’t give him much of a chance either. They tried to force Tate into a new scheme midseason that he wasn’t best suited for instead of giving Matthews some opportunities.
Not to mention, Matthews made the most of the opportunities he did get in 2018.
Then, the 49ers brought Matthews into a crowded situation, and he had a slim chance to make the roster or even get playing time. To make matters worse, the Eagles brought him in midseason just to release him after two games and then rely on practice squad receivers who were not prepared to step into big roles, with the exception of Ward.
We have seen what Matthews is capable of at his best and it has been fun to watch. He can get the job done in the big moment and contribute to a team’s success. It’s a shame Matthews has been in such poor situations after what he showed as a young star.
The six-year receiver is still a free agent, so maybe he will get another shot at some point. Matthews is still just 27-years-old and maybe a team like the Indianapolis Colts will bring him in to play in a similar scheme under current head coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich.
Matthews is also a great teammate and hard worker who is willing to go the extra mile when needed. In the right offense, Matthews can be a productive player, and at this point in the offseason, it seems like all he needs is a chance.