Philadelphia Eagles Chip Kelly on Jeff Maehl getting more playing time
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeff Maehl (88) warms up before the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles have been giving Jeff Maehl more playing time lately, as the wide receiver was able to play in a season-high number of snaps in his last game. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Maehl was on the field for a quarter of the Eagles plays, but that actually didn’t yield any targets. The only game in which Maehl caught a pass was in Week 5’s blowout loss against the Denver Broncos, as Maehl came away with two receptions for 43 yards. The numbers are set to increase for Maehl, though, as it seems like the Eagles are going to give him some more snaps as the season goes on. How many more snaps and how many more targets? Probably not that much, but it is something worth monitoring.
Maehl could also be set to eat into some of Riley Cooper’s playing time, especially his targets. Cooper was thrown at just once this past week, even though he is a No. 2 receiver. Most of his value is derived from blocking, which is an extremely valuable trait for receivers in Chip Kelly’s offensive system. Maehl is just the Eagles No. 4 receiver, but it is interesting to see that he is getting an uptick in snaps.
Kelly spoke about the decision to give Maehl some playing time, which included some praise, via CSN Philly, “[Reps] come away from all of [the receivers]. It just depends where we’re using him and how much Jeff continues to grasp of what we’re doing. The thing about Jeff, there is versatility to him. He’s not just an outside receiver. He’s an outside receiver, he’s an inside receiver, and he’s a good special teams player. That’s why we picked him up.”
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