Is lack of wide receiver depth suddenly a concern for the Eagles?
The Philadelphia Eagles have arguably the best wide receiver duo in the entire NFL in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and both guys are locked up for the foreseeable future with sizable contracts. Behind them though, there are some legitimate questions when it comes to Philadelphia's receiever corps.
The Eagles added a viable WR No. 3 in free agency in DeVonte Parker, but he abruptly retired before ever taking a single snap in an Eagles uniform. So now, behind Brown and Smith, this is what Philadelphia's receiver room looks like:
- Parris Campbell
- Britain Covey
- Johnny Wilson
- Joseph Ngata
- Jacob Harris
- Austin Watkins Jr.
No disrespect to any of those guys, but that's not necessarily a group that's collectively known for putting fear into the hearts of opposing defenses. Given the status of the position following Parker's retirement, it's fair to ask the question:
Is WR depth a concern for Philadelphia?
With Brown, Smith and an excellent pass-catching tight end in Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia should be OK when it comes receivers -- as long as everyone stays healthy. No one likes to think about the potential for injuries to key contributors, but unfortunately that's just the reality of life in the NFL. If either Brown or Smith goes down for an extended period of time, the Eagles could be in trouble, as none of the players listed above have shown that they can operate productively as a starting receiver for a long stretch.
If Brown or Smith goes down and another receiver has to step into a starting spot, it will allow opposing defenses to dedicate [much] more attention to the remaining star receiver, making his life much more difficult in the process. Philadelphia's offense could suffer in a major way as a result.
Free agent options
The Eagles signed Parker to play a legitimate role next season, so it's safe to assume that if they knew he was going to retire before the season started, they likely would have gone in a different direction. Unfortunately for Philly, most of the top free agent wide receivers have already signed new deals this offseason, but there are still a few intriguing options out there.
Michael Thomas, Hunter Renfrow and Sterling Shepard are all experienced receivers who are still available on the market. All three are likely past their prime as players, but could still prove to be serviceable and thus might be worth a look from the Eagles given the current state of the team's depth at the position.
feed