: Jordan Matthews
Eagles HC Chip Kelly said the 2014 NFL rushing leader D...
Eagles HC Chip Kelly said the 2014 NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray would be a full participant on Saturday after missing all of practice Thursday and sitting out most drills on Friday.
“He’s sick,” Kelly said. “He’s doing full today. He was just sick. There’s a couple guys that were sick that have been in and out. Jordan Matthews was sick and missed walkthrough [Friday].
“There’s something going around. We’re just getting him back up to speed, and he’s full go today.”
Tight end Zach Ertz and linebacker Mychal Kendricks also returned to practice after sitting out on Friday.
“They just had a nagging something,” Kelly said. “They’re both back today.”
Eagles camp notes from Monday:- Jordan Matthews get...
Eagles camp notes from Monday:
- Jordan Matthews gets my “Camper of the Day” award. Practices that limit contact tend to highlight the passing game and those mostly involved, but Matthews had a standout performance by any estimate. He did most of his damage from the slot. I think we’ll see more of Matthews on the outside than we did last year, but why limit his effectiveness when there probably isn’t another option as comparable on the roster? Most of his catches came from Sam Bradford and there were a variety.
- DeMarco Murray was back in action after sitting out team and 7-on-7 drills yesterday. He said it was a coach’s decision to limit his action on the first day of camp. I’m not sure why he would need to rest after a six-week layoff, but he looked fine on Monday. He didn’t seem to go 100 percent when he was involved, but after last season when he logged almost 500 touches, it doesn’t seem necessary for Murray to push himself this early.
- A day after taking all of the first team repetitions at quarterback, Bradford was under center for the majority. He looked a little more comfortable on Day 2.
- Mark Sanchez took his first series of snaps with the first team. I’m not sure that constitutes as a quarterback competition, but it’s a start. His best toss during the series was downfield to Huff on a comeback route. Working with the second team, Sanchez knew who would butter his bread. He kept going to Nelson Agholor on the outside. The rookie wide receiver continued to get the best of rookie corner Eric Rowe. Contact at the line is limited, so I wouldn’t make any assumptions about Rowe just yet, but Agholor has looked more than competent.
- Matt Barkley and Tim Tebow split third team reps again. If Kelly wants a pure quarterback at the third spot, the job is clearly Barkley’s. But if he wants someone that has an “X” factor or can be effective in zone read plays, then Tebow would seem to have the advantage.
- The Eagles practiced punt returns and the returners were Darren Sproles, Agholor, Matthews, Kenjon Barner, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin.
Eagles WR Josh Huff started outside, as did Riley Coope...
Eagles WR Josh Huff started outside, as did Riley Cooper. Jordan Matthews was in the slot, as he was most of the time last season.
It seems likely Huff is a place-holder for first-round pick Nelson Agholor. This way, Huff runs with the first team while Matthews remains in his slot position. When Agholor is ready to move into the lineup, he would replace Huff, according to the story. It seems like the team likes Matthews in the slot. It's very possible Huff could perhaps win time over Cooper at some point after Cooper struggled last season.
Beat writer Jimmy Kempski broke down the Eagles' WR competition:
In my view, I think it'd be crazy to take Jordan Matthews off the field. The Eagles mostly stay in three wide receiver sets, and in those situations, expect Matthews to resume his role in the slot. However, when they go with two wides, Matthews should stay in and line up on the outside.
I also expect Nelson Agholor to start Week 1, and produce immediately. He just looks like the real deal to me.
So the real battle here is Josh Huff vs Riley Cooper vs Miles Austin. Huff has the most natural ability and explosion of the three, but he needs to refine some of the more nuanced aspects of the position. The Eagles would love to see Huff go out and earn more playing time, but they're not just going to hand it to him. Their opinion of Cooper is clearly far higher than yours is.
This comes on the heels of another column declaring Josh Huff as the biggest breakout candidate in the Eagles' receiving corps. Agholor figures to have the edge, as reports have been almost universally positive this offseason. Ultimately, we see Matthews, Agholor and Huff playing the most snaps, but it may not happen early or even this season. Chip Kelly likes Cooper more than the rest of us do.
With Jeremy Maclin now in Kansas City, many expected the Eagles to move Jordan Matthews to the outside, and line Josh Huff up in the slot. That is not, however, what the plan is. Huff has been lining up with the first team offense on the outside in Maclin's place, with Matthews remaining in the slot.
Huff could see some time inside, but the plan is for Huff to run many of the same routes Maclin did -- including going deep. Huff is the quickest receiver on the team, and the Eagles will be giving him a chance to stretch the field, much like DeSean Jackson did two seasons ago.
Ask Riley Cooper how much the Eagles like their receivers to be able to block, and he will respond by pointing out he played 980 snaps last season, second most on the team. That is a good sign for Huff, who is perhaps the second-best run-blocking receiver on the Eagles, behind only Cooper. Huff should be able to stay on the field, and keep rookie Nelson Agholor off of it, by being a strong run blocker.
When the team drafted Agholor, it was assumed that he would start. That could still end up being the case, and Agholor has the skills to be a star in the NFL. It will be Huff, however, that gets the first crack at the starting job, with Agholor on the bench.
Agholor could end up taking one of the starting spots, from Huff or Cooper, but he will have to do it in training camp, and won't be handed the job.
The prevailing assumption is that Agholor will start alongside Matthews, who could play outside or in the slot. If Matthews is in the slot, then there's an opening for Huff or Cooper on the other side. Then there's the matter of Zach Ertz, who is rumored to be in line for more snaps as he pushes Brent Celek for the starting job. Ertz could also play more in two-TE sets, but that will send two of the aforementioned receivers to the bench. Training camp will be key for all the Eagles' receivers -- the only player seemingly assured of a big role is Matthews.
According to a person familiar with the situation who requested anonymity, Eagles QB Sam Bradford is "looking great", has been in the rehab room close to every day this summer, and should be ready to go when training camp opens.
That means Bradford should be out on the field for 11-on-11 drills for the start of training camp.
If Bradford is fully healthy and wins the starting job, then he's a threat to post low-end QB1 numbers in Chip Kelly's offense, which has been fantasy friendly towards quarterbacks over the last two seasons. The team is dealing with turnover at receiver, losing DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin in consecutive years, but Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz should be able to pick up the slack.
Eagles beat writer Sheil Kapadia was asked which rookies would contribute in 2015:
Nelson Agholor is going to play a lot of snaps; that's a guarantee. Whether it's in the slot or on the outside, expect Jordan Matthews-type snaps/production out of him.
Agholor joins a receiving corps that has lost its best receiver (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin) in each of the past two offseasons. He’s expected to win a starting job, likely outside opposite Riley Cooper with Jordan Matthews in the slot. If that’s the case, he’ll be a fantasy factor as a rookie. Matthews finished #25 in PPR formats as a rookie last season. That sort of production is certainly feasible for Agholor if he plays starter's snaps and the team gets good play out of the quarterback position.
Former scout and current NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah joined Rob Ellis and Harry Mayes on 97.5 The Fanatic to offer his thoughts on the state of the Eagles heading into camp.
Nelson Agholor came up in the conversation. While Jeremiah might not be totally on board with the NFL exec that thinks Agholor is a number one receiver, he is high on the former USC wideout.
"I think he's a big-time guy. Ideally to me he is a great number two, I don't think in terms of the size and physicality that I would want in my number one guy, but I think he can be an outstanding number two," he said. "There's a lot of guys with his skill set that have been very, very successful. Emmanuel Sanders is who he reminds me of, and we've seen what he can do both in Pittsburgh and out in Denver. I think he's outstanding. He's very tough and he's very instinctive and I think he's one of these guys that we saw last year where all these rookies jumped right in, no adjustment period; I think he's going to fall into that [category]. He's going to jump right in and be ready to go."
Agholor joins a receiving corps that has lost its best receiver (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin) in each of the past two offseasons. He’s expected to win a starting job, likely on the outside with Jordan Matthews continuing to man the slot in three-WR sets.
First-round pick WR Nelson Agholor worked almost primarily with the second and third team offenses during the Philadelphia Eagles' spring practices. Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper and Josh Huff all worked ahead of him. According to one NFL executive, this won't be the case for very long.
"He should be good, real good,'' the executive said to Mark Eckel, of True Jersey. "I'd bet on him. He'll come in and produce right away. He has the right mentality and just a great approach to the game. He's going to help them.''
The exec believes that Agholor's arrival will also help Matthews reach a higher level of play.
The Eagles need a WR1 with the departure of Jeremy Maclin. This exec also said he thinks Matthews is a nice WR, but not a number one; however the two will work well together. Rookie WRs don't always come in and put up big numbers, but perhaps that trend is starting to show signs of changing a bit. Given the Eagles offense and the amount of plays they like to run, Agholor is at least in a good offensive situation. We have Agholor ranked 39th among our WRs which puts him as a low-end WR4. His ADP, though, is the 8th round in ten team leagues - a round or two, or even three, higher than a lot of the guys ranked around him. There may be some safer options on the board to think about.
Bucs WR Mike Evans helped make the 2014 rookie receiver...
Bucs WR Mike Evans helped make the 2014 rookie receiver class one of the best in NFL history.
Along with Odell Beckham Jr., Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, John Brown, Martavis Bryant, Jordan Matthews and others, the young group boasts a potent combo of playmaking and stardom.
When asked by USA Today's Tom Pelissero recently if there is a competition within the group to be the best, Evans wouldn't constrain it to merely his own draft class.
"I'm just trying to be the best, period," he said.
While Beckham bathed in the spotlight in 2014, especially after his ridiculous one-handed catch on Sunday Night Football, Evans put up his 12-touchdown, 1,051-yard season relatively quietly on a two-win Buccaneers team. You can argue Evans' QB situation was among the worst of that group. But with Jameis Winston under the helm and Evans taking over the "X" receiver role in the Bucs' new offense under coordinator Dirk Koetter, the second-year pass catcher is confident he can push his name further into the national consciousness. We think so too as Evans is ranked eighth among our WRs this season heading into camps. He has an ADP of the third round and we project him for over 10 TDs and 1,200 yards.
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