Philadelphia Eagles: Clay Matthews could be the next Chris Long

While Philadelphia Eagles fans debate whether the team should re-sign Trey Burton, Clay Matthews could instantly improve the team’s rush as Chris Long 2.0.

Chris Long and Clay Matthews have had remarkably similar NFL careers.

Drafted one year apart in the first rounds of the 2008 and 2009 NFL Draft, the duo spent over a decade in the trenches as do-it-all edge rushers, each have multiple 10-plus digit sack seasons and funny enough, even both have multiple family members who played in the NFL.

Why is this relevant to the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, Matthews was just waived by the Los Angeles Rams.

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I know, I know, I should be writing about whether or not Howie Roseman should re-sign Trey Burton to serve as the team’s third-string tight end – and to be fair, the night is still young – but I kind of like the idea of investing in a surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame pass rusher more than yet another tight end.

Draft a tight end and let him learn the ropes for a year or two? Maybe someone like Washington‘s Hunter Bryant (more on him here)? That makes a ton of sense, but if the Eagles are going to invest in a part-time player to fill a role in 2020 and maybe 2021, I think edge rusher is a more pressing need.

Especially when Matthews can slot right into the role Long played from 2017-18.

I mean, think about it, when Long played for the Eagles, he was almost exclusively used as a stand-up edge rusher on obvious passing downs. While Jim Schwartz did attempt to find creative ways to get rushers open looks from time to time in 2019, with Genard Avery attempting a few rushers from the interior as a glorified inside linebacker, the team’s overall defensive productions continued to degrade from their 2017 peak.

A soon-to-be-34-year-old Matthews alone isn’t going to make or break a team’s defensive pass rush single-handedly, but you can’t balk at him for still being a productive rusher coming off the edge, as evidenced by his eight sacks in 13 game performance.

Fun fact: Matthews broke his jaw in Week 5 and still played the final eight games of the season.

Despite spending all 11 of his NFL seasons as an outside linebacker in both the Packers’ and Rams’ 3-4 defensive schemes, Matthews is at his best when he’s lined up on the line of scrimmage aimed directly at the quarterback. If tasked with simply bursting off the edge with his arrow pointed at the quarterback, Matthews could potentially put up a career-best sack total in Schwartz’s notoriously pass-rusher-friendly system.

In Matthews, the Eagles would have that fastball off the edge to attack opposing quarterbacks on obvious passing downs their defense was missing in 2019, and oh so much more.

You see, back in 2015 – the final year of Chip Kelly‘s tenure – Matthews was asked to play inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers after a string of injuries left the team undermanned at the position going into the regular season. While Matthews’ pass-rushing production understandably dropped in his new role, he was still dominant enough in his new, off-ball role that he earned his fifth – and to this day final – Pro Bowl appearance.

Matthews has deflected 44 passes with six interceptions over his career, so theoretically speaking, he would be a natural fit in Schwartz’s scheme as an inside linebacker.

I don’t want to get too ‘fantasy football GM’ here, but playing Matthews as an inside linebacker in the team’s base 4-3 package – whenever that actually gets played – and then kicking him down to defensive end on obvious passing downs may be the best way to preserve his body for a few more seasons while still being able to play the game they love for enough snaps a game to make it worth it.

Frankly, Matthews’ experience as a 3-4 edge rusher may make the transition to a wide nine simpler, as outside linebackers in said scheme typically rush from the six or seven tech.

If the Eagles are going to sign a Matthews in 2020, make it Clay, not Jordan.

Next. Easton Stick could be a Draft day trade target. dark

Look, I love Trey Burton, I really do. I loved when the team signed him as a free agent, and it was awesome to watch him transform from a deep-bench special teams-only reserve into a contributing tight end – even if he should have never changed his number from 47 to 80 – but I don’t see the fit of bringing him back to the City of Brotherly Love – that is, unless he wants to switch positions yet again and try his hand at wide receiver. Clay Matthews, conversely, would have a very defined role in the Eagles’ defense as a versatile edge rusher with inside experience. If the Philadelphia Eagles don’t add a premier edge rusher in the 2020 NFL Draft, a player like Curtis Weaver, Matthews would be a great value post-May 7th addition.

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