Philadelphia Eagles: D.K. Metcalf can’t hurt you, I promise
The Philadelphia Eagles do not currently employ a receiver named D.K. Metcalf.
D.K. Metcalf is already a really good wide receiver.
I know, crazy, right? I mean seriously, who’da ever thought a 6-foot-4, 229-pound receiver with like two percent body fat who ran a 4.33 40 coming out of college would be… good? Was his 7.38 3 cone drill really that bad Howie? Was it reallyworthpassingover–
*exhale* It’s fine.
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Is the NFL a league where having star wide receivers is important? …sort of. Theoretically, a team can succeed with a receiver-by-committee approach, a fact Bill Belichick has exploited off and on for years now, but having a big, name-brand dude like Metcalf who can draw the undivided attention of a team’s top cornerback and still get his sure does make life a whole lot easier for a quarterback.
Speaking of Subway’s newest commercial spokesman, did you see how Metcalf torched arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, Stephon Gilmore, on Sunday? I’m pretty sure that was the first touchdown the former Jim Schwartz disciple has given up since, like 2018.
There I go again. Metcalf. Met-calf. My gosh, it’s like I have Metcalf on the mind; Metcalf Mania, if you will.
(Come on Matty, focus up. This is an Eagles blog. Eagles, Eagles.)
In Week 2, the Eagles receiving corps didn’t play bad. Sure, they didn’t have a 100-yard receiver and only amassed 242 yards combined on 26 completions, but in the grand scheme of things, a lack of production through the air didn’t curse the Birds to an 0-2 record.
Again, with the right mindset, plays called, and collection of players, a receiver-by-committee approach can work and work well.
Need proof? Think back to the 2013 Seattle Seahawks, who worked a receiving corps of Percy Harvin, Jermaine Kearse, and Doug Baldwin to a 13-3 record and a spot representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Granted, the Seahawks did evolve from that style of play over time. They tried their hands at building an offense around at-the-time one of the best tight ends in the league in Jimmy Graham – trading away one of their best offensive linemen in the process – before finding renewed success with an offense built around feeding the ball to explosive receivers like Tyler Lockett, Josh Gordon (eventually), and *sigh* DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf.
You know, Russell Wilson is the odds-on favorite to win league MVP this year. Gosh, I wonder why?
All right, you know what? Fine. I’ll stop beating around the bush and get to the point: Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles should have drafted D.K. Metcalf. You know it, I know it, fans in Philly and Seattle will bring it up early and often seemingly for the rest of his career, and maybe even long after.
Why exactly did Howie Roseman pass on Metcalf? Honestly, beats me. Again, his 3 cone drill number, a drill used to test lateral quickness, was bad. His college production at Ole Miss was also pretty lackluster. But my goodness, have you seen that man without a shirt on? He looks like he could eat any receiver on the Eagles roster’s lunch, and they’d ask him if he’d prefer something else tomorrow.
You know that infamous picture of JJ Arcega-Whiteside‘s mom holding an umbrella for him during training camp? Yeah, I imagine Metcalf could bench press JJAW, his mom, and her umbrella without breaking a sweat.
At this point, maybe it’s just better if we collectively take a breath, take the L and just move on with our fandoms, right?
I mean seriously, what is being gained by constantly checking Metcalf’s stat line and pining over what could have been week-in and week-out? This is honestly starting to feel a bit too much like Ricky Williams at the turn of the century, or Earl Thomas a few years later.
Next. Greg Ward’s role has all but disappeared. dark
Who knows, maybe Howie Roseman really did think JJ Arcega-Whiteside was a better fit in the ‘Alshon Jeffery-role’ and would have drafted him no matter what, a la Kevin Costner’s character (Sonny Weaver Jr.) in the movie ‘Draft Day’. Alternatively, maybe the front office just wasn’t all that high on the supersized Ole Miss’ speedster? Maybe he gave the team flashbacks to Dorial Green-Beckham and the thought of adding another Stanford Cardinal was simply too good to pass up? Whatever the reason, D.K. Metcalf is not now and (probably) will never be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the sooner we collectively accept that, the sooner we can move on.