Should the Philadelphia Eagles give WR Mohamed Sanu a call?

The Philadelphia Eagles could use some WR help, but Mohamed Sanu is not the answer.

In a bit of a surprising turn of events, the New England Patriots have outright released veteran wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. The team spent a second-round pick on acquiring Sanu last year via a trade with the Falcons, so the fact that they would cut him just eight games into his New England career was definitely a shock to some. Considering the Philadelphia Eagles own respective WR concerns, would it be worth shooting the veteran pass catcher a call?

Short answer? No.

As grave as the Eagles WR situation may look at times, Sanu would do very little in terms of solving any of their issues. Despite thriving during his three seasons with Atlanta, Sanu really struggled to make an impact with the Patriots in 2019, predominately due to the lack of separation that he created. Standing at 6-2 and 215lbs, Sanu has always been more of a “physical” type pass-catcher, relying on jump balls and contested catches.

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In New England’s finesse-oriented offensive scheme centered around Tom Brady, it really was just a poor fit. Sanu recorded just 26 catches and 207 yards during his time with the Patriots, and obviously he hadn’t done much in terms of impressing during training camp this year.

Coming into the 2020 season, it had initially looked like the Philadelphia Eagles WR room was going to be one of the more explosive in all of football. DeSean Jackson was returning from injury, they had drafted a speedster in Jalen Reagor in the first round, and veteran Marquise Goodwin brought some back-end track speed that would’ve rivaled someone like Tyreek Hill.

However, before the season could even officially begin, the Eagles have already lost at least two of the above mentioned names. Reagor is out for at minimum four weeks due to a slight shoulder tear, and Goodwin opted out for the entire season due to COVID-19 related concerns. On top of all that, veteran WR Alshon Jefferey (the team’s highest paid pass catcher) is expected to begin the regular season on the PUP list (physically unable to perform list).

Combine all those absences with the losses the team has had to their offensive line, and the Philadelphia Eagles offense might not be as explosive as we all had initially hoped. Rookies Quez Watkins and John Hightower have impressed early on in camp, and second-year WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside looks primed for a “breakout season” of sorts, but that’s a whole lot of youth to be putting your faith into.

Kicking the tires on a savvy veteran like Sanu at this stage in the offseason would typically make a lot of sense, but he really just doesn’t fit the Eagles scheme in the slightest. Carson Wentz needs speed, speed, and then more speed. With Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, and Greg Ward set to take up the intermediate stuff, the last thing the team needs is one more slower receiver who would just clog up the passing lanes.

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Like previously mentioned, Sanu has long made his money off jump balls and contested catches. That’s not necessarily a style of receiver that Wentz has enjoyed throwing to in the past, as him and Jeffery have their own internal issues regarding targets. At this point in the season, running out the youngsters while simultaneously praying that DJax can stay healthy is the best option Philadelphia has.

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