With Mack Hollins on the IR, Alshon Jeffrey still on the mend, and Mike Wallace being declared “out for a while,” the Eagles are glaringly thin at the wide receiver position. Not to mention two of the wide outs who are healthy—Agholor and Gibson—are also nursing injuries.
The team was obviously down a few bodies heading into the matchup with Tampa Bay, and Wallace’s ankle injury made the already deplorable situation unbearable. To underscore the desperation of the situation, 50% of Eagle fans were scrambling to google and social media at halftime to find out who the f*ck Josh Perkins is.
With the hope of adding Josh Gordon being short-lived, Howie and the coaching staff will need to look elsewhere for help at receiver—if in fact they decide to make an outside move at all.
1. Corey Coleman
One name that has been connected with the Eagles on multiple occasions throughout the summer was Corey Coleman, who was cut by the Patriots in order to make room on the roster for Gordon.
Coleman is a former 1st round pick by the Browns in 2016 who has failed to live up to expectations. Over two seasons he appeared in 19 games and recorded 56 catches for 718 yards and five touchdowns; so he does bring some experience, but will ultimately be viewed as a high-reward flyer who still possesses the tools to contribute in this league.
I never give up on Browns cast-offs for the simple reason that their struggles can easily be attributed to the chronic dysfunction of their organization. That argument holds up for a few teams, but none like Cleveland.
2. Jordan Mathews
Mathews is still on the open market and is an obvious choice if the team is open to bringing him back. He doesn’t replace much of what Wallace or Jeffrey provide, but he would at least be able to fill in at the slot and allow Algholor to work outside more.
Mathews and Wentz had a really solid connection when he was still a member of the team, and I don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t pick up near where they left off. It would take time to develop a rapport with the other players mentioned on this list, which makes this a no-brainer practically.
Of note: Mathews was spotted at the NovaCare complex today, and he probably wasn’t just stopping in to say hello.
3. Dez Bryant
Naw I’m good.
My recent memory of Dez Bryant is a player who couldn’t get open and couldn’t catch, not to mention his mere signing would spark a media firestorm that nobody has time for—it’s a hard pass from me.
4. Stay Put
With Wentz now playing instead of Foles, the coaching staff may very well be comfortable enough with this crop of pass catchers.
When we had those guys out there with Nick Foles last week, the offense looked very similar to how it did with Sam Bradford—dink and dunk with an inability to push the ball downfield effectively. It’s hard to blame Foles (and Bradford for that matter) considering the lack of weapons in the passing game outside of Ertz.
Give Foles credit, he managed the situation well given the circumstances—35/48 for 334 yards, one touchdown with no interceptions is nothing to balk at—but a player like Carson Wentz is able to transcend that void of talent in a way that Foles simply isn’t capable of. For that reason, it’s not crazy for the team to stay put with Carson back under center.
* Editor’s Note: This option is much less likely with Carter being waived in order to move Josh Adams onto the active roster.
5. Kenny Britt
Britt was a safe bet to resign with the Patriots before they made the move to add Gordon. He had generated some buzz around New England for his offseason workouts, only to have an injury lead to his release before the start of the season.
With Britt available and Gordon off the market, he’s probably the most productive option out there. He’s just 29 years old and brings nine years of league experience.
In his three year stint with the Rams from 2014-16, he recorded 152 catches for 2,431 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s real production that isn’t typically available, and Britt would somewhat be able to replace Wallace as a downfield threat given his size and leaping ability.
I haven’t really heard his name linked to the Birds, but that’s mainly because he was assumed to return to New England up until yesterday afternoon.
6. Chad Johnson
Ochocinco en la Philadelphia?
Only kidding, but the former Bengal made his services available via Twitter, where he has established himself as a must-follow amongst current and former athletes—unsurprisingly.
“@Eagles I’m in shape, literally ALWAYS open & faster than everyone there, don’t need a contract just access to WiFi.” via TWITTER @ochocinco
At 40 years of age Johnson is still in excellent shape, but it’s just not a possibility. Still—it’s fun to imagine what a pairing of prime-Ocho and Carson Wentz would have looked like.