Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (18) catches a 27-yard touchdown pass against Washington Redskins defensive back D.J. Johnson (30) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles offense broke out in a big way last season thanks to both first-year head coach Chip Kelly and Nick Foles, who broke out as a second-year starter following Michael Vick’s nagging hamstring injury. Kelly’s downfield passing scheme suited Foles well, and he took advantage of putting playmakers in space and really harnessed both Foles’s skill-set and lightning-quick decision-making. No team took more shots downfield than the Eagles, and LeSean McCoy ensured that no team was more successful on the ground either. Evan Mathis, Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, and the rest of the Eagles offensive line were kicking it into high gear, and the result was a playoff appearance in Chip’s first season in the NFL.
If the Eagles are able to keep Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin, then they should be even better on the offensive side of the ball next year. DeSean Jackson finally looked like a true No. 1 receiver last season instead of just a on-and-off-again playmaker, Cooper showed that he’s a very good No. 2 option in this league, and the addition of a healthy Maclin, who was once the team’s No. 1 receiver, would really make the Eagles offense deep and scary.
Maclin told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Zach Berman that both sides have interest in getting a deal done, “I’ve always stated, this is where I want to be. The Eagles have stated the same thing. We’ll continue to get on the same page with all that and get something done.”
Follow the link above for more quotes from Maclin, as the former 70-catch, 10-TD receiver talks about other subjects, such as his health.
Although he will likely receive interest from a number of teams on the open market- the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets have already been linked to him- I expect Maclin to stay in Philly. He’ll have to sign a one-year deal to prove his health and effectiveness following a season-ending ACL tear during training camp last year, but I’m confident that the 25-year-old Missouri product will continue to show that he’s one of the more productive wide receivers in the league and put himself in a position to get a significant payday in 2015.