The Philadelphia Eagles could really use a guy like Robby Anderson
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles probably should’ve pursued Robby Anderson.
At the moment, Carolina Panthers WR Robby Anderson currently ranks third(!) in the NFL in total receiving yards. That’s pretty good! I might really be pushing some buttons with this take, but I think it’s fair to say that the Philadelphia Eagles could use a guy like that.
For what it’s worth, Howie Roseman and the Eagles were connected pretty heavily to Anderson on two separate occasions. Once at the 2019 trade deadline, and again during this past offseason.
The New York Jets shopped Anderson pretty hard at last year’s deadline, and the Eagles were one of the teams who were reportedly interested in him. Philadelphia obviously needed WR help last season, and Anderson definitely fit the mold of the speedy deep threat that they were looking for. The connection between Roseman and Jets GM Joe Douglas was another reason people felt the Eagles were in line to land Anderson.
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However, the Jets ultimately ended up demanding a second-round pick, which was a fairly steep price to pay for a guy on an expiring contract. Roseman hung up the phone, and the Jets failed to find any other suitors. Anderson finished out 2019 as a New York Jet, and then entered the offseason as a completely unrestricted free agent.
During the summer, the Philadelphia Eagles were linked to all sorts of free agent WRs, for obvious reasons. The team had one of the worst performing receiving groups in all of football during the 2019 season, and they desperately needed to add someone. Guys like Demarcus Robinson, DeAndre Hopkins, and of course Robby Anderson were all connected to the Eagles at some point in time.
Ultimately, Roseman and the Eagles opted to stand pat when it came to their WR room. They choose to spend $39 million on a DT2 instead (Javon Hargrave), while using the draft to address their WR needs.
Eight weeks later, and I think it’s safe to say that the Philadelphia Eagles drastically made the wrong decision. Not only has Anderson blossomed into one of the best WRs in all of football, but the Eagles offenses has dissolved into complete nothingness. They’ve gotten very little production from their rookie WRs, and Carson Wentz looks like a complete shell of himself throwing to guys we’ve never heard of until a few weeks ago.
The emergence of one Travis Fulgham has helped soften the blow a tad, but it’s still fairly ridiculous to compare him to someone like Anderson. The Panthers new WR1 has 250+ career receptions and 3,747 career receiving yards. Fulgham hasn’t even hit 500 career receiving yards yet.
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The Philadelphia Eagles threw $39 million at Hargrave this past offseason, while Robby Anderson commanded just $20 million. Money was never the problem when it came to giving their offense a legit, veteran WR1. Instead, the Eagles front office just grossly misevaluated what they needed heading into 2020. Teddy Bridegwater and the Panthers passing attack is thriving, while Wentz and the Eagles are still trying to figure out how to consistently earn first downs through the air.