Yesterday saw The Philadelphia Eagles agree to terms with 27-year-old slot receiver Zach Pascal, formally of the Colts. A lot of fans heard today’s news and shrugged. While the move doesn’t move the needle, it ticks a few vital boxes.
Cap Flexibility
It’s been said by our team before, but the Eagles were not one of the teams with a lot of cap space available. So when free agency started, while many expected the Eagles to buy quickly, the honest outlook was they were going to be patient and look for the best value.
Haason Reddick came to the team on a very manageable three-year deal.
It’s been a money bonanza for some of the top wide receivers in the free-agent market. Most fans wanted to see the Eagles spend big on a wide receiver, but the team has learned their lessons from years past, it seems. Zach Pascal will come cheaper than most receivers this offseason, and in a market that’s seen some crazy deals, that’s no mean thing. It also gives the Eagles the chance to get other top free agents available.
Instant Upgrade
This shouldn’t need to be explained but here we go. Zach Pascal is a better receiver than Jalen Reagor.
In Reagor’s two years in the league, he has caught a grand total of 64 passes, for 695 yards and three touchdowns. In the last two years alone, Pascal has caught 82 passes, for 1,013 yards and eight touchdowns. Keep in mind, when Nick Sirianni was the OC in Indy, Pascal’s numbers were actually improving each and every year.
Pascal’s a good blocker, a good special teamer, and can consistently catch the football. There’s a reason he was one of Nick Sirianni’s favorite players, and now he is in Philly.
There’s really not much else to say on it. Pascal is better than Reagor and it instantly improves the passing attack.
Scheme Fit
Many will wonder how a solid slot receiver fits into a team like the Eagles. In the end, Pascal will help not only Jalen Hurts as a QB, but he’ll offer more room for DeVonta Smith to operate as a #1 wide receiver, and Dallas Goedert to operate in the middle of the field.
The Eagles needed a solid possession receiver that can take the load off of Quez Watkins and open the field for Goedert and Smith. Pascal will be able to do both. He’s also extremely good in the red zone. In the last two years with Sirianni in Indy, Pascal scored 10 touchdowns.
That isn’t a coincidence. Sirianni knows how to use him, and his flexibility as a player will allow the Eagles offense to be more unpredictable and creative. They won’t need to force-feed jet-sweeps to receivers who can’t get upfield anymore.
The Eagles have a receiver who knows the type of offense the coaching staff wants to run, is dependable in the passing game, and can score in droves in the red zone.
It’s a solid pickup for the birds.
Does this move change the way the Eagles operate the draft? Probably not. I think it’s fair to assume the team will be taking a WR with one of the four picks in the top 64. But it does offer a dependable upgrade that won’t break the bank.
The Eagles have learned from past mistakes and are looking for solid value players to improve the roster. It’s that reason the team made a very smart move to get a guy like Pascal on the roster.
Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire
