After winning the Super Bowl last season, the Eagles have not had the best of luck when it comes to injuries at the wide receiver position this season.
For starters, veteran Alshon Jeffery has yet to make his debut as he is still week-to-week coming back from torn rotator cuff surgery. Second-year wide receiver Mack Hollins was placed on injured reserve before the season opener and now Mike Wallace will join him on IR with a fractured fibula.
With all of those injuries, the Eagles decided to go on the hunt for another wide receiver before Sunday’s game against the Colts.
The team announced on Wednesday that they brought back wide receiver Jordan Matthews, who spent the preseason with the New England Patriots.
Matthews reportedly worked out for Philadelphia on Tuesday. However, he was not the only former player that the Eagles had their eyes on.
John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported on Tuesday night that the Eagles are setting up a workout with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Clark also mentioned that the workout might have to take place next week, however, as Maclin’s leg is hurting.
Along those same lines, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported on Wednesday that Maclin is close being healthy and the Eagles have been keeping tabs on him.
It does not come as a surprise to see the Eagles kicking tires on Maclin as there was apparent interest in the offseason, according to ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
However, the question that remains is what can he bring to the table at this stage of his career?
The 30-year-old Maclin struggled last season with the Baltimore Ravens and in his final year in Kansas City. With the Ravens, he had career-lows across the board with 40 receptions (72 targets) for 440 yards and three touchdowns.
Prior to that with the Chiefs, Maclin took a step backward under Andy Reid, after starting out strong. In his first season with Kansas City, the former Mizzou wide receiver had 87 receptions (124 targets) for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. He was their number one receiving option and immediately proved his worth.
However, in 2016 with Kansas City, Maclin had a noticeable decline in production with 44 receptions (76 targets) for 536 yards and two touchdowns. A reason for the decline was because of a groin injury.
If you took away the nagging injuries that he has suffered over the last few seasons, then Maclin could have been the wide receiver that we saw early in his career, stretching the field and creating big plays.
But he may not return to that form again, which is okay for the Eagles. As of right now, they got two wide receivers that can stretch the field in Jeffery and Shelton Gibson and two wide receivers that can play inside in Nelson Agholor and Matthews.
Therefore, Maclin’s best bet is to be a possession wide receiver. He might not have the speed anymore that he once had but is still a reliable pass catcher. In his five-year stint with the Eagles, he had a catching percentage average of 60.6.
It should be interesting to see how his workout pans out with the Eagles and potentially with other NFL teams. If Maclin can show that he still got that burst and can make cuts without any issues, then he should find himself on an NFL roster in the near future.
