The Philadelphia Eagles’ receiving corps has a YAC problem
Despite over-addressing the position on draft weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receiving corps still lacks a reliable threat to pick up yards after the catch.
The Philadelphia Eagles‘ receiving corps was bad in 2019.
How bad? Well, Michael Thomas had more yards and catches himself than all nine of the receivers who caught passes for the Birds in 2019 combined.
Granted, Thomas is one of, if not the best receiver in the NFL but yikes.
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But one thing the Eagles’ receivers were even badder at than almost any other team’s in the NFL was finding a way to generate yards after the catch.
Of the 1,647 yards generated by Eagles receivers in The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2019, only 464 came after the catch. To make matters worse, only one of the team’s current receivers, Alshon Jeffery, recorded more than 100 yards after the catch and he isn’t particularly well-known for his exclusivity.
Just for context, not only did Miles Sanders have more yards (509) than any receiver on the Eagles roster but 420 of those yards came after catching the ball.
Do you want to know what else Sanders did at a better clip than almost any other pass catcher on the Eagles roster? Break tackles. While that probably shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Sanders is a running back, his four broken tackles ranked third on the team behind Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and above every receiver not named Nelson Agholor.
Now to be fair, picking up yards after the catch isn’t the end-all, be-all of playing wide receiver play in the NFL, as Thomas only averaged 3.9 yards after the catch in 2019. However, when an entire receiving corps is devoid of dynamic playmakers capable of making plays in space and in the screen game, it has a tendency to seriously limit an offense’s overall vitality.
Typically speaking, a team wants to fill out their depth chart with either direct backups for their starters or players with varied skill sets who could be useful situationally. Right now, the Eagles have two big possession receivers in Jeffery and JJ Arcega-Whiteside, four speedy deep threats who can play in either the slot or outside, and a former college quarterback-turned-receiver in Greg Ward.
Could speedy deep threats like Jalen Reagor or John Hightower be ‘that guy’ who makes catches across the middle of the field, makes a few guys miss, and picks up the electrifying 20-plus yard plays that the Eagles offense has been sorely missing? And what about the team’s final pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Quez Watkins? He averaged 8.9 yards per reception after the catch as Southern Mississippi’s go-to offensive weapon but lacks the polish to be an every-down wide receiver at this point in his career – that is, if he even makes the team above the team’s other seven options.
See what I mean? Despite investing in an entirely new wide receiving corps over the last two offseasons, the Eagles still need to find a dynamic playmaker who can turn the team’s short passing offense up a notch, especially if Doug Pederson‘s playoff RPO-heavy scheme finds a home in the team’s regular-season offense.
But, just for argument’s sake, what kind of receiver should the Eagles be looking for? Do they need a big-bodied possession receiver like Cooper Kupp or a dynamic pass catcher who turns into a running back in space like Deebo Samuel?
Well, if 2019 is of any indication, it’s more about the player than a prototypical mold.
Of the top-10 YAC-generating wide receivers in the league last season, six were mostly deployed out of the slot, but outside of that, their playing styles are all over the place. Some are fast, some are tall, and some, like DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas, are certified stars. Making plays in space has more to do with understanding how to work coverage than a particular testing metric – though change-of-direction is certainly important – and it’s, unfortunately, a skill that no receiver on the Eagles roster has shown a particular pension for thus far in their professional careers.
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In theory, Doug Pederson should be able to scheme his players open regardless of who ends up making the team’s final roster this fall. He’s a great offensive mind and an above-average play-caller with a knack for getting the best out of whatever talent he has on his roster. But if the Philadelphia Eagles’ receiving corps can’t pick up yards after the catch, yards after contact, or break tackles at an average clip, it will limit their offensive ceiling regardless of who plays quarterback or is on the field at any given time.