: Jordan Matthews
Eagles beat writer Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice:
He's legit. Players in the Eagles secondary are already saying he's been the most impressive receiver they've faced so far this offseason, and the media seems to be in unanimous agreement that he looks very fast and shifty. As we noted in the final notes of minicamp, there are some players who don't play to their timed speed. Agholor ran a 4.42 at the Combine, and he plays every bit as fast as that would indicate, and then some. I'd be very surprised if he didn't start Week 1.
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.
As Chip Kelly likes to say, it is only June, and the depth chart at this point is almost meaningless. Still, it is pretty clear so far that the Eagles starting receivers on the outside are going to be Riley Cooper and Josh Huff, with Jordan Matthews in the slot. Rookie Nelson Agholor will certainly factor into the rotation, but it is Huff's job to lose right now. Agholor has been up-and-down in camp, making some impressive catches, but he had a bad drop on Wednesday. Huff, meanwhile, had a nice catch that would have gone for a touchdown in a game.
This is mildly surprising, but it's something to monitor as the offseason wears on. It sounds as if Huff has made strides since last year and is currently playing ahead of Agholor. If this continues, then Huff would be fantasy relevant while Agholor will struggle to make much of an impact in limited snaps. Keep in mind that Cooper is hardly entrenched in a starting role after a rough 2014 campaign.
Likely being thrust into an outside role in the starting lineup, Eagles WR Josh Huff hopes to live up to the expectations he set for himself after talking about how familiar he was both with scheme and personnel coming from Oregon where Eagles head coach Chip Kelly recruited and coached him for two seasons.
With the growing pains of a rookie campaign behind him, Huff has drawn rave reviews from Kelly about his maturity heading into his second season, something the wide receiver says he's noticed even about himself.
The article also says that Jordan Matthews is 'likely' to start in the slot, so that would mean RIley Cooper or rookie Nelson Agholor would also start outside. The Eagles' pecking order is difficult to predict, but we expect Matthews to see the most targets and fantasy production. It gets murky after that.
"If I'm not ready for 11 on 11 by training camp, then something has gone horribly wrong,'' Eagles QB Sam Bradford, who is coming back from his second ACL tear in two years, said. "That's the plan right now. We're going to keep plugging away and be ready when camp starts.''
It appears Bradford is on track for camp. Over the last two seasons, Philadelphia quarterbacks have averaged 16.7 passing game-only fantasy points. Bradford isn’t much of a runner, but he adds about 0.7 FP per game as a rusher. That adds up to 17.4 FP, or about what Eli Manning averaged as the #13 QB in 2014. The Eagles’ offense has lost their top receiver – DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin – in each of the last two seasons, but Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz are emerging and the team added Nelson Agholor in the draft. If Bradford ends up starting for the Eagles, we wouldn’t expect anything more than high-end QB2 numbers, but this is a definite system upgrade due to the overall effectiveness of Chip Kelly’s offense.
Nelson Agholor continued to make a strong impression. It should be noted that receivers tend to have the upper hand during spring workouts when defensive backs are restricted, but you can often see whether rookie receivers have at the very least the skills to compete at this level. Agholor clearly does. He’s fast. Not DeSean Jackson fast, but he’s gets down the field in a hurry. He’s athletic. He made several catches when he out-jumped a defender. And he appears to run crisp routes.
On a Matt Barkley pass over the middle, Agholor high-pointed the ball and pulled it in. Later, when Tim Tebow threw a fade to his back shoulder in the end zone, Agholor went up and caught the ball away from his body. The Eagles’ top pick had a good day. It’s just one practice in shorts, but the signs so far suggest he was worth the investment.
Agholor joins a receiving corps that has lost its best receiver (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin) in each of the past two offseasons. We expect him to beat out Riley Cooper, Josh Huff and Miles Austin for a starter’s role opposite Jordan Matthews. If he does, he’ll certainly be fantasy relevant in 2015.
Eagles beat writer Jeff McLane on the status of QB Sam Bradford:
Sam Bradford, as Chip Kelly said was likely, practiced during seven-on-seven drills. The new Eagles quarterback took about five snaps, splitting time with Mark Sanchez, with the first team on Tuesday. He didn’t participate during the second set of seven-on-seven drills and sat out all of team drills, as expected. Bradford threw the ball well. The drops he took weren’t strenuous. While his full return still appears to be a ways off, Bradford took a small step forward. That is a positive.
He warmed up to the side as most of the team went through conditioning at the start of practice. He then partook in individual drills with the other quarterbacks, jogging to the next station whenever the drill moved. I didn’t notice a hitch in his step as he ran. Bradford walked with a noticeable limp after practice last Thursday, but I didn’t get to see him walk off the fields on Tuesday.
Over the last two seasons, Philadelphia quarterbacks have averaged 16.7 passing game-only fantasy points. Bradford isn’t much of a runner, but he adds about 0.7 FP per game as a rusher. That adds up to 17.4 FP, or about what Eli Manning averaged as the #13 QB in 2014. The Eagles’ offense has lost their top receiver – DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin – in each of the last two seasons, but Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz are emerging and the team added Nelson Agholor in the draft. If Bradford ends up starting for the Eagles, we wouldn’t expect anything more than high-end QB2 numbers, but this is a definite system upgrade due to the overall effectiveness of Chip Kelly’s offense. The health of Bradford's knee is the biggest concern heading into 2015.
In his first practice, Eagles WR Nelson Agholor ran smooth crisp routes, showed the kind of speed that vaulted him up draft boards late in the process.
Another wrinkle that the USC product who finished his collegiate career with 179 catches for 2,571 yards and 20 touchdowns is his ability to contribute as a kickoff returner. During Tuesday's practice Agholor was the first receiver up, perhaps giving a glimpse of another area in which he may contribute during his rookie campaign.
Agholor joins a receiving corps that has lost its best receiver (DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin) in each of the past two offseasons. We expect him to beat out Riley Cooper, Josh Huff and Miles Austin for a starter’s role opposite Jordan Matthews. If he does, he’ll certainly be fantasy relevant in 2015.
At one point, Eagles WRs Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, and Josh Huff got reps with the 1's, with Matthews in the slot. Later in practice, it was Matthews, Cooper and Jeff Maehl, with Matthews on the outside. Matthews had previously said his role would be expanded by playing some on the outside. We saw that Thursday.
With Jeremy Maclin gone, Matthews will have to play more than the 65% of the snaps that he played as a rookie. He was the #24 WR in standard formats, so increased playing time should lead to a better finish. He won't be limited to the slot in 2015.
Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford is "right on schedule" in his return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, coach Chip Kelly said Thursday. Bradford has been limited during this week's first thre organized team activities. He's able to participate in individual drills, but he's not taking part in team drills.
“He is on schedule," Kelly said. "We all think there’s three phases – there’s medical rehab, performance rehab, and prepare to play.He’s probably at the tail end of medical rehab. He’ll probably start throwing some 7 on 7 next week, and I think he’s right on schedule.”
Over the last two seasons, Philadelphia quarterbacks have averaged 16.7 passing game-only fantasy points. Bradford isn’t much of a runner, but he adds about 0.7 FP per game as a rusher. That adds up to 17.4 FP, or about what Eli Manning averaged as the #13 QB in 2014. The Eagles’ offense has lost their top receiver – DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin – in each of the last two seasons, but Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz are emerging and the team added Nelson Agholor in the draft. If Bradford does start for the Eagles, we wouldn’t expect anything more than high-end QB2 numbers, but this is a definite system upgrade due to the overall effectiveness of Chip Kelly’s offense.
Eagles beat writer Sheil Kapadia on the team's receiving roles:
One thing I know about Chip Kelly: He believes in making rookies earn playing time. So don't be surprised/alarmed if Nelson Agholor starts out with the second or third team. But given how advanced Agholor seems to be from a mental standpoint, he could be the exception.
Riley Cooper's role is one we probably haven't discussed enough here. There's a scenario where the Eagles settle on Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff and Agholor as the top three receivers, leaving Cooper on the sideline. ... But Huff will have to prove he's a more reliable option in his second year to earn those snaps.
As for Matthews' role, my guess is he plays a lot more outside in 2015. I didn't think his size was a huge advantage in the slot last year, even though he was highly productive in that role, and Agholor may be better suited to play inside as a rookie.
Matthews will have to play more than the 65% of the snaps that he played as a rookie. He was the #24 WR in standard formats, so increased playing time should lead to a better finish. We're more interested in just how much Agholor, Huff and Cooper will play.
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