Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Matthews Will Have A Huge Year

Jordan Matthews has been sneaky-good for the Philadelphia Eagles in his first two seasons, and the numbers suggest he will be even better in 2016.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews has taken steps towards becoming a legitimate pass catcher for the Eagles in his first two seasons. The 2014 second round pick has caught a total of 152 passes for 1,869 yards and scored eight touchdowns in both seasons (16 total).

However, Matthews needs to take a leap in 2016.

The Eagles head into the 2016 season with no true No. 1 receiver, unless of course Matthews tells the Eagles, “I’m your huckleberry.”

Coming out of Vanderbilt, Matthews was a very intriguing prospect, with a big part of the intrigue stemming from his relation to The G.O.A.T. (Jerry Rice). Matthews is Rice’s cousin, which to no surprise was the first sentence in his scouting report on NFL.com.

Nolan Nawrocki of NFL.com did the scouting report, and Nawrocki ends his report on Matthews by saying he has, “the versatility to line up inside or outside and become a solid No. 2 or No. 3.”

Luckily for the Eagles, Matthews has already exceeded those expectations. He has shown that he is legitimate No. 2 wide receiver, but the big question is whether Matthews has the ability to give the Eagles more and be that true No. 1 wide receiver?

Former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly got rid of their big-play wide receiver DeSean Jackson, he failed to re-sign 2009 first round pick Jeremy Maclin and Kelly used the Eagles 2015 first round pick on Nelson Agholor, who has been a bust through his first season in the league.

The Eagles signed Rueben Randle in the offseason and he has shown flashes of ability at times and could have a breakout season, but hasn’t been able to put it all together. They also have Josh Huff, who was another draft pick by Kelly that hasn’t panned out.

Dec 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

Knowing all of this, many feel the Eagles will have a rough year at the receiver position, however; Matthews’ numbers are sneaky-good over the last two seasons and form a different narrative.

On the surface, a career high 85 catches for under 1,000 yards and only eight touchdowns looks like No. 2 wide out numbers but when you dig on Matthews career so far you will find out some surprising stats.

Julio Jones is looked at as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, if not the best. Jones was so good that the Falcons traded up for him in the 2011 NFL Draft, giving up two first round picks, a second round pick and two fourth round picks.

Matthews will never be as good as Jones and I am not trying to say he is in any way on the caliber of Jones. Instead I am showing you that Matthews has made the most of his limited opportunities, which bodes well for the Eagles big question of whether he will cement himself as that true No. 1.

Over the past two seasons, Jones has a total of 366 targets, scoring 14 touchdowns and having eight 40+ yard plays. Matthews only has 229 targets, or 137 less than Jones, but has caught 16 touchdowns (two more than Jones) and has five 40+ yard receptions.

Digging deeper on those numbers, that means Jones would score a touchdown every 26 targets while Matthews would score one every 14. Jones has had a 40+ yard reception every 46 targets and Matthews was exactly the same with 46.

Another important factor of being a No. 1 wide receiver is the ability to move the chains. Jones led the NFL in 2015 with 93 first down receptions, nine more than the player behind him. He was second in 2014, behind Antonio Brown, with 76 first down receptions. Sticking to the per target statistics, Jones averaged a first down every two targets.