Many NFL insiders expect the Philadelphia Eagles to make a couple of impact moves at next week’s trade deadline. The Eagles are reeling after a disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers last Sunday and could use an upgrade at a few positions.
One position of need that Philly has been rumored to be interested in upgrading is wide receiver. Last month, the Eagles brought back Jordan Matthews, who was released in the summer by the New England Patriots to fill the void left by veteran Mike Wallace.
In five games, Matthews only has six receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown, which is not nearly enough production to compliment teammate Alshon Jeffery. Along with production, he is not the vertical deep threat that the Eagles are still searching for.
Over the last couple of weeks, the Eagles have been connected to various wide receivers who fit that mold, such as Amari Cooper of Oakland Raiders and DeVante Parker of the Miami Dolphins.
But on Monday, Cooper was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Parker, however, could still be dealt by the deadline, but the Dolphins are banged up at wide receiver and will need him for the time being.
With that being said, if the Eagles don’t trade for a wide receiver due to various circumstances. They could go the free agent route and sign former New York Jets wideout Terrelle Pryor.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pryor is close to 100 percent in his rehab from a groin injury and could be ready to play as soon as Sunday. He also adds that Pryor has received interest from several teams and could be a fallback option for teams that missed out on Cooper.
Coincidentally, the Eagles were one of those teams who missed out on the former Raiders wide receiver as they reportedly offered a second-round pick.
Pryor would be a solid fit for the Eagles over the last eight games of the regular season. He is a big body target on the outside that can stretch the field.
This season with the Jets, the 6-foot-4 wide receiver had 14 receptions (22 targets) for 235 yards and two touchdowns. If you compare his stats to the Eagles’ wide receiving unit, he would be their third-best wide receiver, behind Jeffery.
Pryor inked a one-year deal with the Jets in the offseason, after a disappointing 2017 season with the Washington Redskins. In Washington, he could not recapture the magic that he had in 2016 with the Cleveland Browns. Pryor only played in nine games due to an ankle injury and recorded 20 receptions (37 targets) for 240 yards and a touchdown.
As previously mentioned, this was a far cry from his outstanding 2016, where Pryor had a career-high 77 receptions (140 targets) for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns.
However, before he signed with Washington last offseason, Pryor was on the Eagles’ radar as a free agent. According to the wide receiver, the Eagles expressed interest in signing him, before ultimately signing with the Redskins.
“Yes, I believe so,” said Pryor (h/t NJ.com). “During the free agency period. Then, something happened in-house over there. I don’t exactly know.” As all we know, the Eagles opted to sign the wide receiver tandem of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith to team-friendly deals.
Those moves paid off for the Eagles as both wide receivers played instrumental roles in the offense during their Super Bowl run last year.
Nevertheless, this is a brand new season and if the Eagles do not want to use a draft pick on DeVante Parker, Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders and instead want to put them towards maybe getting a running back or a defensive player.
Then Pryor might be the best option available to them. He will not be an immediate game breaker but could draw some attention away from Jeffery and give quarterback Carson Wentz a vertical target to get the ball to.
