Have Eagles done enough at wide receiver, or are we left to rely on hope?

[Procus]

https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-wide-receivers-howie-roseman-track-record

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Have Eagles done enough at wide receiver, or are we left to rely on hope?

By Reuben Frank May 05, 2020 10:45 AM

 

The Eagles completely revamped their wide receiving corps. Which we all agree they had to do. 

Have they done enough? 

You know how Howie Roseman likes to say, "Hope isn't a strategy?" 

It is when it comes to the Eagles' wideouts. Because there isn't a sure thing in the group. 

The Eagles did the right thing by attacking wide receiver in the draft, but with the crux of the offseason over and virtual OTAs getting started, the Eagles still have more questions than answers at a position that's been a problem for years. 

They did devote a first-round pick to a wide receiver, but it's one who a lot of experts didn't think was the right guy. That doesn't mean he wasn't the right guy. But Roseman's track record with Day 1 and Day 2 receivers doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. 

They did spend next to nothing to acquire a veteran receiver who once had a 962-yard season. But Marquise Goodwin is 29, has averaged 331 yards in seven NFL seasons, has reached 500 yards just once and has gone from 56 to 23 to 12 catches the last three years. 

They did draft speed in the later rounds, adding John Hightower in the fifth round and Quez Watkins in the sixth. But the reality is that the Eagles have drafted 18 wideouts in the fifth round or later since 1980 and only three of them ever caught a touchdown in an Eagles uniform — Tony Woodruff, Calvin Williams and Riley Cooper. 

They do bring back DeSean Jackson, but as exciting as he's been throughout his career — even on opening day last year — he's 33 years old now and coming off a serious injury. The last Eagles wide receiver to catch a pass after his 33rd birthday? Irving Fryar in 1998. 

Alshon is still here. Whatever. If he's still on the roster whenever he gets healthy, we're looking at an overpaid 30-year-old coming off a miserable season and a serious injury who's six years removed from his last 1,000-yard season and appears to have issues with the quarterback. 

And then there's J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who may make huge strides in Year 2. Or maybe not. 

There's Greg Ward, who might be the closest thing the Eagles have to a sure thing. Fantastic hands, great routes, an incredible work ethic. But he's more of a steady, sure-handed underneath guy than a game-breaker. 

Then there's the bomb squad from the end of last year — Robert Davis, Deontay Burnett, Marcus Green and Shelton Gibson.  

And those are your Eagles wide receivers. 

Best-case scenario is pretty good. D-Jack bounces back in a big way. Reagor puts together a rookie season like D.K. Metcalf or Terry McLaurin. Goodwin stays healthy and plays like it was 2017. JJAW figures it all out. Ward holds down the slot. Alshon gets healthy by November and turns the clock back to 2017. 

Whatever happens, it's almost guaranteed to be an improvement over last year, when Nelson, Jeffery, Arcega-Whiteside and Mack Hollins got a combined 2,103 snaps and caught 102 passes. And dropped almost as many. 

What Carson Wentz was able to do last year with a rag-tag group of practice squad call-ups, struggling veterans and waiver-wire acquisitions was remarkable. 

Wentz deserves better, and it's exciting to imagine what he could do with an elite wideout to grow with for the next several years of his career. 

Donovan McNabb never really had that. He had T.O. for a year and a half and DeSean when he was nearing the end. 

The Eagles are definitely faster at wideout, and they're definitely younger.  

But this is the team that brought you Josh Huff, Dorial Green-Beckham, Rueben Randle, Golden Tate, Steve Smith and Mack Hollins. 

The best receiver the Eagles have brought in since Roseman became GM is probably Jordan Matthews and they got rid of him three times. So far.

So it's not easy to buy in. 

Is this more of the same or have the Eagles truly solved a lingering problem?  

To answer that question, we have to turn to the one thing Howie didn't want to rely on, and that's a whole bunch of hope.

 

[eagle45]

It's a fair article.  

In isolation, I think they did as much as they could to address the position.

Given their past transgressions, the real question is if it was ever possible to even do enough in one offseason.  And of course their sobering track record calls into question how the most recent moves will turn out.

[Madriver]

Well written article. For every plus, a minus.

It's like the FO is throwing everything at the wall to see what happens. At this point I probably have more faith in the later round hungry guys and rookies than the vets.

[nipples]

What more could they have done? Sure maybe they could have got in on Hopkins but that was just a weird situation all around. Don’t think anyone ever expected the Texans price to be so damn low. 

[slick1234]

In a perfect world things will be ok at wide receiver. But we all know that's not the case. Jeffery will likely be on PuP and Jackson at his age probably will incur an injury along the way. J.J. is a big ???. Ward is so that seems to be a plus. Regarding the draft, Reagor appears to be a good receiver but needs some work like all new receivers in the league. The other wr's taken either in the draft or signed as UFA's don't seem to be the answer. Yes, they have speed but look at their stats and nothing really stands out. I think as time goes on Howie will have to resort to finding veteran receivers or at least another one. Something about draft choices that look good on draft night but once they hit the practice field things change. Also, teams don't like to get of new draftees until at least 3 years go by. Think the Eagles have enough to make things interesting but not enough for the long haul.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Put it this way. If they are serious that Alshon and Desean are going to be WR #1 and #2 then no they didn't do enough. If they are serious that Alshon is going to play a big part then no they didn't do enough. They didn't do enough for this year and they certainly didn't do enough for the future. 

[time2rock]

They can’t go into the season expecting Jeffery to be WR 1 or 2 since it is highly unlikely he’d be healthy enough to play (he should be out for at least the first half of the season).  Anyway, I had really hoped to draft one of the top 3 WR prospects as well as another higher rated prospect on day 2.  Grabbing a 2nd round rated prospect as our top investment in the position and then a pair of day 3 picks doesn’t give me the same confidence that we properly addressed the position.  But even had we grabbed higher rated prospects as I wanted, we’d still be relying on hope (just to a slightly lesser extent) as none of them are guaranteed to be sure fire hits.  

[DeathByEagle]

Would be fine if they either resigned Golden Tate last year or sign Robbie Anderson this year. Im not very confident in the so called additions to the WR core. 

[jsdarkstar]

Well they got younger and faster and there's going to be a whole lot of competition at the WR position. It should be fun to watch, if there is a preseason. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

8 hours ago, time2rock said:

They can’t go into the season expecting Jeffery to be WR 1 or 2 since it is highly unlikely he’d be healthy enough to play (he should be out for at least the first half of the season).

Unfortunately I think there's hope and perhaps expectation that Jeffrey could be back week 1. I'm not one to wish injury upon players but I'd much prefer Jeffrey is not healthy until the 2nd half of the season. 

[PoconoDon]

33 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Unfortunately I think there's hope and perhaps expectation that Jeffrey could be back week 1. I'm not one to wish injury upon players but I'd much prefer Jeffrey is not healthy until the 2nd half of the season. 

UK,

Some may feel that way, but I'd suggest their hope is misplaced. That lis franc injury in a 30 year old takes a long time to get back to normal. I expect his return in early December, and that's with zero set backs in his post surgery rehab. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

4 hours ago, PoconoDon said:

Some may feel that way, but I'd suggest their hope is misplaced. That lis franc injury in a 30 year old takes a long time to get back to normal. I expect his return in early December, and that's with zero set backs in his post surgery rehab. 

All players recover differently though? We haven't heard anything from the team to suggest he won't be ready week 1? Or at least early in the year.

[time2rock]

12 hours ago, DeathByEagle said:

Would be fine if they either resigned Golden Tate last year or sign Robbie Anderson this year. Im not very confident in the so called additions to the WR core. 

That's probably because they are all unproven (expect Goodwin, who has proven to be just OK ... nothing special).  If just 1 of the 3 we drafted turns into a really good WR I'll be happy.  If more than one I'd be ecstatic (but not expecting it).  

[ManchesterEagle]

5 hours ago, PoconoDon said:

UK,

Some may feel that way, but I'd suggest their hope is misplaced. That lis franc injury in a 30 year old takes a long time to get back to normal. I expect his return in early December, and that's with zero set backs in his post surgery rehab. 

 

51 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

All players recover differently though? We haven't heard anything from the team to suggest he won't be ready week 1? Or at least early in the year.

The only timeline we have is that it would take 9 months - ie the start of the season.

There have been players with a much shorter recovery time and players with a longer recovery time.

He could be ready.

[PoconoDon]

5 minutes ago, ManchesterEagle said:

 

The only timeline we have is that it would take 9 months - ie the start of the season.

There have been players with a much shorter recovery time and players with a longer recovery time.

He could be ready.

I agree that everyone heals differently however, the 9 month timetable is the shortest time it typically may take. The range I've always seen is 9-12 months. 

Here's an article that explains it in general terms.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319089#the-lisfranc-joint-complex

 

excerpt regarding recovery:

Recovery from a Lisfranc injury depends on its severity and the success of the surgery. Most surgeries will require 6-12 weeks of wearing casts and special walking boots.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation will also take time. Full recovery may occur after a year, but this can vary greatly. It may take longer than a year for athletes to regain their full strength and mobility. It is important to work closely with doctors and refrain from physical activity unless it is approved first.

Lisfranc fractures are serious, and even successful treatments may produce undesired side effects. These problems can include a reduced range of motion or strength, despite a period of rehabilitation.

Arthritis and chronic pain may also occur from damage to the cartilage in the joints.

In view of the seriousness of a Lisfranc injury, it is best to have any foot injury inspected by a doctor and to begin treatment quickly.

[time2rock]

40 minutes ago, PoconoDon said:

I agree that everyone heals differently however, the 9 month timetable is the shortest time it typically may take. The range I've always seen is 9-12 months. 

Here's an article that explains it in general terms.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319089#the-lisfranc-joint-complex

 

excerpt regarding recovery:

Recovery from a Lisfranc injury depends on its severity and the success of the surgery. Most surgeries will require 6-12 weeks of wearing casts and special walking boots.

Physical therapy and rehabilitation will also take time. Full recovery may occur after a year, but this can vary greatly. It may take longer than a year for athletes to regain their full strength and mobility. It is important to work closely with doctors and refrain from physical activity unless it is approved first.

Lisfranc fractures are serious, and even successful treatments may produce undesired side effects. These problems can include a reduced range of motion or strength, despite a period of rehabilitation.

Arthritis and chronic pain may also occur from damage to the cartilage in the joints.

In view of the seriousness of a Lisfranc injury, it is best to have any foot injury inspected by a doctor and to begin treatment quickly.

Mills is a good example of expected recovery time.  He suffered the same injury in the game against Jax in October, 2018.  He wasn't able to return to the lineup until the Dallas game (10/20/19) ... a full 12 months later.  And he is 4 years younger than AJ.  

[PoconoDon]

1 minute ago, time2rock said:

Mills is a good example of expected recovery time.  He suffered the same injury in the game against Jax in October, 2018.  He wasn't able to return to the lineup until the Dallas game (10/20/19) ... a full 12 months later.  And he is 4 years younger than AJ.  

Good example Brother Man.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

58 minutes ago, ManchesterEagle said:

He could be ready.

He could be. I just hope that he isn't. 

[time2rock]

22 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

He could be. I just hope that he isn't. 

That would be my preference too.  it gives the new acquisitions (draft picks, Goodwin ...and heck even JJAW) an opportunity to get some valuable playtime.  Nothing expedites development like actual play time.  Then as we approach the stretch run if some are struggling or **knock on wood** suffer injuries, we could potentially add AJ back to the lineup to (1) help put us in position for the postseason and/or (2) showcase he is healthy and playing at a relatively high level again to increase his value (thinking to trade him next offseason).  

[UK_EaglesFan89]

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

That would be my preference too.  it gives the new acquisitions (draft picks, Goodwin ...and heck even JJAW) an opportunity to get some valuable playtime.  Nothing expedites development like actual play time.  Then as we approach the stretch run if some are struggling or **knock on wood** suffer injuries, we could potentially add AJ back to the lineup to (1) help put us in position for the postseason and/or (2) showcase he is healthy and playing at a relatively high level again to increase his value (thinking to trade him next offseason).  

Exactly and that is where I am at! If he's on IR or PUP then we can assess the new draft picks, JJAW and Goodwin better and see where we are at. If they aren't working then the option is there to bring him back. If not then leave him on IR or I guess cut him or trade him before the deadline or something. It almost gives us a nice fall back option.