Philadelphia Eagles will miss having Torrey Smith at wideout

The Philadelphia Eagles continue to stay busy in the offseason after agreeing to trade Torrey Smith to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Daryl Worley

Around this time last offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles were considering their best options at wide receiver to provide Carson Wentz with better weapons to work with after seeing some of his struggles as a rookie in 2016. And while Alshon Jeffery ended up being the highlight of free agency signings for the team when considering he was arguably the best wideout available, the decision to sign Torrey Smith was one of the most underrated moves.

All of a sudden, Smith would provide Wentz and the offense with a speedy deep threat who was capable of breaking loose for a long touchdown at any given moment. Not to mention, Philadelphia also benefited from Smith drawing pass interference penalties whenever Wentz or Nick Foles would bomb the football his way whenever he would break free from defenders, which is actually quite common for players with that kind of speed.

Unfortunately, it looks like Smith’s time in the City of Brotherly Love will end up being a one-and-done situation after the Eagles decided to trade the wideout to the Carolina Panthers. Even if it’s exciting to see Philadelphia acquire a young cornerback with potential in Daryl Worley in return, the news doesn’t make the situation any easier for members of the team or fans to deal with.

Numbers wise, Smith may not have put together the kind of regular season he was hoping for after catching just 36 passes for 430 yards with two touchdowns, but also keep in mind he did come up big in the postseason when it mattered the most. In fact, his 41-yard touchdown catch early on in the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings during the NFC Championship to give the Eagles a 31-7 lead was viewed as the dagger moment that seemed to seal the deal for the team earning a trip to the Super Bowl.

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Seeing that Smith was scheduled to earn $5 million in 2018 makes it easy to understand why the decision was made by Philadelphia, and the fact that Howie Roseman was able to land a player in return with Worley when the team was already expected to move on from the veteran wideout is amazing. On a positive note, as much as teammates and fans will miss him, at least Smith was fortunate enough to be part of the Eagles bringing the city their first Super Bowl title after decades of heartbreak.