It was Day 3 of Eagles training camp and the first-team offense was going up against the first-team defense.
In front of Jalen Hurts was an offensive line filled with All-Pro and Pro-Bowl players. Behind him was a Pro Bowl running back. Lined up next to the offensive line was a Pro Bowl tight end, and when he wasn't on the field, the Eagles lined up another tight end who most view as top-10 in the entire league.
Out wide?
On one side was John Hightower, a receiver with 10 career receptions. On the other was Travis Fulgham, who was benched last season. In the slot was J.J. Arcega-Whiteside.
Needless to say, it was the defense that won the snap.
It is still early, but through four practices, it is very obvious that this team's biggest need is at wide receiver. The team has already acknowledged somewhat the need after signing receiver Andre Patton this week, a move made simply because they needed more bodies at the position due to injuries. So far in camp DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Quez Watkins, Travis Fulgham and Greg Ward have all missed at least part of practice due to injury.
Their current group of receivers has upside, but also has a very low floor, and the result could be a group that is a major issue in a league that is won-and-lost in the passing game.
To protect themselves from being stuck with no reliable option at the position the Eagles should absolutely explore bringing in a veteran, whether that be via trade or free agency.
At nearly every other position this offseason the Eagles have added a veteran, even where one was needed. They signed Joe Flacco at quarterback, they signed Ryan Kerrigan at defensive end and they signed Steven Nelson at cornerback. You can debate if the Eagles should be signing veterans, but the reality is they have at other positions, and left the receiver position without any semblance of a reliable veteran.
Right now the Eagles have 10 receivers on the roster. Here they are ranked by their current career catches:
Greg Ward: 81
Travis Fulgham: 38
Jalen Reagor: 31
John Hightower: 10
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: 10
Quez Watkins: 7
Andre Patton: 6
Michael Walker: 2
DeVonta Smith: 0
Jhamon Ausbon: 0
Ironically the players that the fans, and probably the team, are most excited about have some of the fewest career catches.
Smith and Watkins top the list in terms of upside at the position. Reagor and Fulgham are next, but both has missed time this camp due to injury. Perhaps all of them meet their potential next season. They should all get snaps to try to prove they belong in the NFL. If they do, the receiving core will (obviously) look a lot different. The team would be wise to prepare for the probable outcome that not all four do, and in all likelihood, they would be lucky if one-or-two took a big step forward.
The free agency market isn't great right now, but there are a few intriguing options.
Kenny Stills has 117 games of experience with 310 catches and 37 touchdowns. He is still just 29-years old and had 40 catches for 561 yards in 2019.
Golden Tate's first go-around with the team wasn't great, but the team does have an entirely new coaching staff now, and he did have 84 catches for 1,064 yards combined over the last two seasons.
Bringing back Alshon Jeffrey might sound crazy, but he did look better with Jalen Hurts at quarterback than he did with Carson Wentz. Jeffery had a touchdown vs. the Saints, 63 yards vs. the Cardinals and a 22-yard reception vs. Dallas. Jeffery would now be a full season recovered from his season-ending injury in 2019 and could bounce back with a new coaching staff and a new quarterback he doesn't have any issues with. (Ok, this one is probably a stretch).
To be clear, the idea of bringing in a veteran receiver isn't about taking snaps from the younger receivers. Plan A for the Eagles should be to give younger players like Smith, Reagor, Watkins and Fulgham snaps and hope they play well enough to stay on the field.
In an ideal word the veteran receiver they sign would never see the field in any meaningful way.
As the Eagles have found out over the last few seasons, however, very few things actually go to plan — especially at receiver.
Which is why they should sign a veteran receiver now to plan ahead for the likelihood they will eventually need one.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
