Philadelphia Eagles: JuJu Smith-Schuster should be on Philly’s 2021 radar
While the City of Brotherly Love may not be his most logical destination, JuJu Smith-Schuster should certainly be on the Philadelphia Eagles’ radar in 2021.
As per Pro Football Focus – and really, anyone paying attention – the Philadelphia Eagles have two types of wide receivers on their roster going into 2020: Big possession guys and fast vertical deep threats.
Is that necessarily a bad thing? Eh, not really, factor in the team’s one-two tight end punch and Carson Wentz should have plenty of viable options to throw to this fall, but it is noteworthy none the less because of just how unusual it would be to roll with a seven deep wide receiving corp without a true number one option.
Granted, technically Zach Ertz has always been Wentz’s favorite target since his selection second overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, but as for receiver? Well, it looks like the Eagles are going with their 2019 model of spreading the ball out to a ton of viable options, only this time, it’ll be with a seriously elevated base-level of talent.
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But really, how long can that last? Look across the NFL and most teams with a viable Super Bowl chance have a do-it-all wide receiver, even if he isn’t necessarily the team’s best overall receiver.
The Green Bay Packers have Davante Adams, the New Orleans Saints have Michael Thomas, and the Dallas Cowboys have Amari Cooper (and CeeDee Lamb). Heck, even second-tier teams like the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings have Allen Robinson and Adam Thielen respectively, even if neither is necessarily going to will their team to a Lombardi Trophy.
As for the Eagles? Well, they’ll start out the 2019 regular season with a 30-year-old Alshon Jeffery, a 33-year-old DeSean Jackson – both of whom could conceivably be moved on from without too much of a cap hit versus their overall contract – a speedy 29-year-old receiver on a one-year deal in Marquise Goodwin, and four under-25-year-old receivers who may never become a true number one, let alone a starter.
So needless to say, if the Eagles can add a top receiver to their offensive arsenal at some point in the not too distant future, a receiver capable of “doing it all” they should pounce on it, right?
Well, if recent reports are of any indication, a pretty intriguing option may be on the market who fits that bill to a T.
According to The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs by way of The Athletic’s Ed Bouchette, the Pittsburgh Steelers are unlikely to retain their top receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster when his contract expires in March of 2021. With a bloated salary cap, a ton of veterans looking for new deals, and a built-in in-house replacement in 2020 second-round pick Chase Claypool, the Steelers may value retaining players like Bud Dupree, Joe Haden, Cameron Heyward, Alejandro Villanueva, and James Conner with their $36 million of available salary cap over investing a huge chunk of that money on a player like Smith-Schuster coming off a down 2019 campaign.
And if that’s the case, the Eagles should certainly be in the market for the 23-year-old’s services, even if he isn’t featured on The Draft Network’s potential landing spots.
Measuring in at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Smith-Schuster has been everything fans in Philly wanted Nelson Agholor to be when he was drafted 20th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft – an irony not lost on any fan of USC football. Paired up with Antonio Brown in Mike Tomlin‘s offense, Smith-Schuster hauled in 169 passes for 2,343 yards and 14 touchdowns as the Steelers’ go-to X wide receiver.
Despite running a slightly underwhelming 4.54 40, a number that very well may have dropped the borderline first-rounder to the 62nd overall selection, Smith-Schuster’s uncanny ability to win 50-50 balls in the air, weave through traffic when facing zone coverage, and make some Odell Beckham-esque trick catches made him an instant star in the NFL – and on social media. Whether you like him or not, you have to respect Smith-Schuster’s social media game, and the social media game of his dog, Boogie, who is a must-follow in my humble opinion.
Smith-Schuster’s 111 catches for 1,426 yards ranked fifth in the league in 2018 and earned him his first trip to the Pro Bowl. The Eagles’ receiving corps, by contrast, only had 188 catches for 2,279 yards combined for exactly zero Pro Bowls.
So you see, even after an underwhelming 2019 season marred by underwhelming quarterback play by the likes of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, Smith-Schuster’s fit in Philly is rather obvious.
Whether deployed on the outside or in the slot, Smith-Schuster is the kind of high-volume pass catcher the likes of which the Eagles haven’t employed since gosh, Jeremy Maclin? Terrell Owens? For the same price as retaining Jeffery and Jackson, give or take a few million dollars, the Eagles could roll into 2021 with a receiving corp of Smith-Schuster, JJAW, Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, Greg Ward, and Quez Watkins, all of whom are under 25-years-old and could conceivably be Eagles for the next half-decade.
If Smith-Schuster is willing to accept a shorter-term deal, say $66 million over three years with $40 million guaranteed, he would without a doubt make the Eagles’ offense more explosive while simultaneously making everyone else’s job a whole lot easier.
Outside of Wentz, Ertz, and the offensive line, the majority of the Eagles’ offensive weapons are still on their rookie contracts, so signing an uber-talented wide receiver as a financial placeholder would not only make the team better but do so without taking money out of other people’s pockets.
Now to be fair, it makes sense why the Eagles aren’t considered a top candidate to land Smith-Schuster in free agency. From the Sam Darnold connection in New York, to a presumed desire for the Long Beach native to return to his Southern California home to play for either the Rams or the Chargers, driving four hours across the great state of Pennsylvania to swap out Primanti Brothers for Pat’s and the very same climate is a lateral move at best. But being the perceived missing piece to a Super Bowl title team? Now that may inspire Smith-Schuster’s camp to trade in the bright lights of a major media market for Philly’s rag-tag bunch of dog mask-wearing, Mike Scott-fightin’ Phanatics.
Playing in Philly is just different, man.
dark. Next. The Philadelphia Eagles can certainly keep seven wide receivers
With six of the Philadelphia Eagles’ current top-seven wide receivers joining the team between 2019 and 2020, it’s clear Howie Roseman wants to surround his franchise quarterback with the best offensive talent available. If JuJu Smith-Schuster does, in fact, become a free agent in March of 2021 – or better yet, at the 2020 NFL trade deadline – he would instantly upgrade Doug Pederson‘s offense exponentially and do so without compromising the team’s financial future. If returning Carson Wentz to his 2017 MVP-level form is the team’s top priority, I can’t think of a better use of some available cap space than a 100-plus catch wide receiver.