Stat analysts deem the Eagles wide receiver corps as NFL's second best unit

It's too early to call A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith the best wide receiver duo in Philadelphia Eagles history. They may be by the time their story is done, but one season does not a Pro Football Hall of Fame career or a debate-ending theory make. Besides, Merrill Reese has already weighed in on the best trio in franchise history anyway.

Merrill once said that he'd give the nod to DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant. Say what you will, but when we're discussing the opinion of someone who has seen more Birds football than anyone writing or reading about them, who are the rest of us to argue?

That isn't to say that DeVonta and A.J. aren't on their way. They most certainly are. The former set the franchise's record for the most receiving yards by a rookie (916) before setting the single-season record for receptions by a wide receiver in year two (95). The latter now sits atop the franchise's record books after recording the highest single-season receiving yards total in his debut last season (1,496).

We're certain that both have larger goals in mind, but if they're to lead the best wide receiver unit in the NFL, they need two things. They kind of need a third guy, and they'll need to overtake the guys that have bested everyone else in that category for the past two seasons. According to one of our favorite analysts at one of our favorite productions, they still have some work to do on that front.

The Eagles' wide receiver corps earns a second-place finish in a recent ranking.

Pro Football Focus released their 2023 wide receiver corps rankings recently. The Eagles fall just short of the top spot as the Cincinnati Bengals top the list for the second season in a row.

Here's the explanation for both rankings. We begin with the first-place Bengals.

"he Bengals were No. 1 on our receiving corps rankings last year and remain the top dog heading into 2023. Over the last two years, this wide receiving corps ranks third in receiving grade (85.8), sixth in receiving touchdowns (70) and third in receiving yards (9,434).

Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd make the best receiver trio in the league, while Irv Smith Jr. and Joe Mixon give QB Joe Burrow pass-catching options beyond wide receiver."

- Trevor Sikkema, PFF

No one should be shocked that A.J. and DeVonta earned a mention in his analysis of the Eagles. Rounding out the rest of the top five are the Miami Dolphins, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.

"A.J. Brown’s elite play put the Eagles high on this list on his own, but it’s more than just him. DeVonta Smith really took his game to another level in 2022, earning an 80.0-plus receiving grade and putting up over 1,300 yards on the season. And then throw in Dallas Goedert, one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, who has earned a 90.8 receiving grade over the last two seasons, third among his peers behind only Travis Kelce (91.8) and George Kittle (91.3)."

In addition to Brown and Smith, Philadelphia returns Quez Watkins, Greg Ward, Britain Covey, and Devon Allen as the other familiar faces from last year's roster. Tyrie Cleveland, a 2020 seventh-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos, joined the squad on January 17th.

Olamide Zaccheaus was added on April 19th. Philly added undrafted rookie free agents Joseph Ngata and Jadon Haselwood shortly after the selection meeting before acquiring Charleston Rambo on May 16th. The battle at wide receiver will again be one to watch as we progress through the coming training camp.

Expect Philly to carry six wideouts on the 2023 53-man roster. A.J., DeVonta, Quez, and Olamide all figure to earn a spot. That means, in essence, that means seven guys appear to be in a battle to land one of two remaining spots on the game-day roster. Once we figure out who lands where, we'll make a run for another Vince Lombardi Trophy and the top spot on next year's PFF ranking.

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