Mike Wallace
He was never able to get his bearings in Philadelphia, with injuries thwarting his one-year tenure and keeping him sidelined. But, if he does still want to play, he may still bring enough juice to the table to be worth taking a shot. His blazing 4.33 speed has allowed him to blow past NFL defenses for almost a decade and prior to last year’s heartbreak, he proved he still has the afterburners.
Wallace received for 748 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging over 14 yards per reception in 2017. If the 2011 Pro-Bowler can still run like Dash from ‘The Incredibles’ after his injury, then it makes sense to at least give him a call.
Jordan Matthews
This should be the most obvious answer. Believe it or not, Matthews averaged 15 yards per reception last year during his second stint with the Eagles and in my opinion, at least, showed just how far he’d come since his first rodeo. Matthews was asked to play all over the line of scrimmage and actually fights through contact (CC: Agholor). Here’s my film breakdown from his 2018 campaign:
He’s best friends with Carson Wentz, he knows the offense, he’s always produced and he’ll be a lot more productive than arguably any other Eagles receiver right now…
De’Anthony Thomas
The former Chiefs receiver obviously has a connection to Doug Pederson due to the Eagles Head Coach being the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator at the time of DeAnthony’s drafting in 2014.
Thomas was expected to develop into a deep-threat but was never really able to establish a role in what became an electric room of receivers. However, he did become a perennial special teamer, averaging 24.5 yards per kick return. With Jackson now officially out of the picture for a while, the Eagles may benefit from the extra depth at that spot
Thomas has 509 career receiving yards to his name along with 4 touchdowns.
Marken Michel
The former CFL standout is still a free agent and should be a familiar name to Eagles fans everywhere after his 75-yard touchdown in the team’s preseason opener.
The speedy receiver racked up 435 yards on 31 receptions, 36 yards on two carries and added six total touchdowns in 11 games last year for Calgary, making most of his money out in space…which, as we know, is where the Eagles also like to make a living.
394 of his 1,215 receiving yards (or 32.4%) in the CFL came after the catch. He also managed 11.8 yards per carry in his young career. Making big-time plays is something that has become second nature to the former Minuteman and at this point, the Eagles could really benefit from his dynamic skill set.
Maybe
Charles Johnson
Johnson has a credible NFL resume. Before losing a training camp battle with the Eagles this Summer, the former seventh-round selection was most prominently known for his 2014 breakout in Minnesota, where he snagged two touchdown passes and 475 receiving yards. He stayed with the Vikings for three years, but the injury bug started to bite.
After bouncing to several other teams Johnson took a shot at the AAF whereas we now know, he stole the show. The 6’2, 216 lbs, receiver is now 30-years old, but eventually found his footing in Philadelphia to show some burst as a slot-receiver. This would push Agholor outside, get Mack Hollins off the field, and give the Eagles a fresh, yet somewhat look after Johnson spent the offseason in Philly.
Michael Floyd
The Eagles know Floyd well after practicing with him and playing against him in the preseason, but he wasn’t picked up after being cut by the Ravens which is a slight concern.
The former first-round pick was once primed to be one of the league’s best before DUI’s, substance abuse policy violations and a lack of consistency caught up with him.
Philly has been known to be a forgiving city for those who want to work and earn back the respect of those they’d lost it from…but does the man with 3,959 career-yards still have some gas in the tank?
Aldrick Robinson
A veteran with a 4.43 40-yard dash time, Robinson has 86 receptions for 1,422 yards and 14 touchdowns. While he’s never found a consistent home since being drafted in 2011, Robinson’s skill set is one that fits what the Eagles crave and it would again take some strain off of Mack Hollins who is having to perform as a WR2.
JJ Nelson
This is a name that’s been floating around ever since the DeSean Jackson news and with good reason. The 5’10, 160 lbs, receiver has 1,475 yards in 58 career games with 16 starts. But after undergoing ankle surgery, Nelson hasn’t been at 100%.
Especially in a Raiders room that had just lost Antonio brown, you’d think that if there’s going to be a spot for Nelson to thrive, that would be it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Despite a strong Summer, Nelson was cut from the team after catching 4 passes for 36-yards and a touchdown in 2 games.
If he’s closer to 100% than he was earlier in the season, it’s worth giving him a call, but the former UAB product may not be the ‘blazer’ he used to be.
Pierre Garcon
It’s a name that Eagles fans know all too well, but Garcon is now 33 and chronic knee injuries held him back during his time at San Francisco. He’s no longer the pain in the rear for defenses he used to be, but Garcon should still be worth looking at to get a gauge on where he is in terms of health.
No
Antonio Brown
He may be the best in the biz, and had the Eagles not endured 2 weeks of ‘Jersey Shore’ level drama, then maybe. But they passed on Josh Gordon. AB has forced his way out of Pittsburgh, then one of the biggest contracts in NFL history, then New England. The last thing his team needs is another migraine.
Michael Crabtree
He’s 32, hasn’t been able to prove he’s worth the big-bucks for quite some time now and that’s reflected by the fact that the household name is still without a team. However, he does have big-play potential and plenty of experience with 7,499 yards and 54 receiving touchdowns to his name so who knows?
Kelvin Benjamin
The former first-round pick tore his ACL after an incredible opening two years in Carolina and was just never the same. He was released last year after catching just 35% of passes thrown his way. It’s not that desperate…yet.
