The Eagles appear to have filled the void left by Torrey Smith. According to an official announcement from the team, the Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with wide receiver Mike Wallace.
The #Eagles have agreed to terms with WR Mike Wallace on a one-year deal.
📰 https://t.co/Y8iLDky5H6 pic.twitter.com/XjfoLbs05G
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 22, 2018
So, what does this move mean for the team?
Wallace is shockingly one of only 10 active NFL players with 8,000 career receiving yards and 500 career receptions. He is joined by Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Gates, A.J. Green, DeSean Jackson, Julio Jones, Brandon Marshall, Demaryius Thomas and Jason Witten. He is also currently the only active player to produce 500 receptions and 50 receiving touchdowns while averaging 15.0 yards per reception.
Prove-it!
This should come as no surprise, but the Eagles have found solace in yet another prove-it contract. The 31-year old veteran signs a one-year deal that gives the team some reliable receiving help at a cheap cost, with the deal being set at $2.5M and incentives making it worth up to $4M. This is a structure that helped build the Super Bowl winning roster one season ago and it’s clear that building through the draft and adding veteran leaders to help nurture that young talent is the direction that Roseman and Douglas are pushing toward.
Production:
The 6’0, 199 lbs wideout is coming off of a year in which he received for 748 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging over 14 yards per reception. While he’s at the tail end of his career, it’s clear that he still has the ability to burn defenses and stretch the field. The 2011 Pro-Bowler has long been heralded as a deep-threat and has three 1,000 yard seasons to his name, with his latest being in 2016 in Baltimore. The Ravens offense faded away fast in 2017 and while perhaps not the lone reason for his regression, it may have definitely played a factor that gives the Eagles move value.
The role:
It’s unclear whether or not Wallace will start for the Eagles, or if they’ll instead give that spot to Mack Hollins or Shelton Gibson. But regardless of who ends up as the WR2 in 2018, Wallace’s ability to come in at a moments notice and give the Eagles a speedy option who can decimate unsuspecting defenses on deep routes is a huge addition to the offense.
The Eagles didn’t get the production they were ideally hoping for with Torrey Smith and there were several occasions where that home-run hit was just a little out of reach. The signing of Wallace gives the team the same upside, but with a wide receiver who wasn’t coming into his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love following a huge decline after receiving a new contract. Reliability and stability are the two words that come to mind.
Wallace has worked with plenty of franchise quarterbacks in his time, too. From Joe Flacco and Big Ben to a brief stint in Miami, the veteran has averaged no less than 13 yards per reception in his nine-year career, which is a staggering feat.
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
