It is a well-known fact the Philadelphia Eagles need to add speed to their wide receiver room this offseason.
DeSean Jackson was electric for the Eagles in 2019, but he only really played one game all season. It is a no-brainer for the Eagles to keep Jackson for the 2020 season, even with his $8.6 million salary-cap hit.
Jackson showed, when healthy, he still has the juice. The connection from quarterback Carson Wentz to Jackson was special in the limited time we got to witness it. There is clearly some risk in bringing back Jackson, mainly because of his age and coming back from his injury that ended his season, but it is one the Eagles need to take.
Keeping Jackson will be great, but that should not factor into their team-building decisions this offseason. The Eagles need to add the fastest receivers they can, but they need to do it before the draft, and they need to add more than one.
Luckily for the Eagles, the free agency period features some pretty fast receivers, but two, in particular, should peak the Eagles interest the most based off of skill, fit, age, and the potential contract.
A lot of Eagles fans love the idea of adding Robby Anderson to the offense, but with reports circulating that Anderson could get around $14 million or more a year, the Eagles should pass. Actually, it should be a hard pass at that price. Anderson is a good player, but his production doesn’t warrant such a big contract. The Eagles have far too many holes to overpay for Anderson. The extra money they save can go to a cornerback in free agency or someone they trade for and extend instead, like Darius Slay.
The first receiver the Eagles should sign in free agency is a former first-round pick and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, Breshad Perriman. After being drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft (26th overall), Perriman struggled to remain healthy and be productive when healthy, so he was cut before the 2018 season. After bouncing around from the Washington Redskins to the Cleveland Browns, the Buccaneers signed him before the 2019 season to a 1-year, $4 million deal.
Hoping to finally shed the bust label, Perriman didn’t disappoint. In 14 games, he caught 36 passes for 645 yards and six scores, all career highs.
Perriman, who is only 26 years old, is once again a free agent and the Eagles are the perfect landing spot him for him. PFF projects the Eagles could give him a 1-year, $7 million deal.
The second receiver the Eagles should add in free agency is former Kansas City Chiefs receiver, Demarcus Robinson. A potential contract for Robinson could hover around 3-years, and almost $16.5 million, or around $5.5 million a year.
Robinson, who is only 25 years old, is entering his fifth year in the league and has been a solid player for the Chiefs the last two seasons, catching 54 passes, for 737 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The former fourth-round pick out of Florida would transition to the Eagles smoothly with Doug Pederson being an Andy Reid disciple. Robinson played behind Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, but Hill was out 4 weeks early in the season, which gave Robinson a bigger role.
In those 4 weeks, Robinson caught 16 passes for 281 yards and 3 scores. A bigger role in Philly would be a match made in heaven for Robinson and the Eagles.
Adding Perriman and Robinson this offseason should be a high priority for the Eagles. The two receivers would be great additions to the offense. Both of them are young, have a ton of upside, and their contracts shouldn’t be crazy. Adding two speedy, young, receivers for less than $15 million a year combined would be a great move for the Eagles, especially pairing them up with Jackson.
If they head into the 2020 NFL Draft without adding a speedy receiver in free agency, they could be in trouble. However, if they did add Perriman and Robinson before the draft; Roseman and the Eagles will have a much easier time drafting at the end of April—and it is exactly what they should do.
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