Philadelphia Eagles: Spending big at wide receiver is the right move
By Jeremy Klump
The Philadelphia Eagles have the second highest cap hit for their wide receivers in 2019, but it is the right move.
The Philadelphia Eagles decided at the start of the new league year that they would kick it off with keeping wide receiver Nelson Agholor and his $9.387 million cap hit. Now, the reason that this is important is because a ton of fans and some media members felt it would be a good idea to get rid of Agholor before his salary became fully guaranteed because of the cap number.
Adding to that, the Eagles traded for the greatest deep threat of all time and future Hall of Fame wide receiver (yeah, I said it) DeSean Jackson. The reason both of these moves are connected is that Jackson and Agholor, combined with Alshon Jeffery’s $14.725 million cap hit, and all of the other wide receivers on the team combined for $28,475,226 against the cap in 2019, which is the second highest behind only the Cleveland Browns.
For people who like percentages, the Eagles’ wide receivers take up a whopping 14.65 percent of the 2019 cap. That has sparked a lot of debate about why the Eagles are investing that much in a wide receiver corps, especially in one that many fans feel does not deserve that much money.
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Well, it is a pretty simple answer: quarterback Carson Wentz.
The numbers may be high and Jeffery, Jackson and Agholor may not be the best at their position, but combined, they are best for the Eagles offense and Wentz. They all fit this offense in their respective spots and will give the Eagles and Wentz the ability to have a dominant 11-personnel (one tight end, one running back, three wide receivers) with tight end Zach Ertz on the field.
Ertz, who is arguably the best tight end in football, has a cap hit of $12.1 million this year, which would put the Eagles at a little over $40.5 million in receiving options for Wentz. Again, the number sounds high, but it is worth it. Having Jeffery and Jackson on the outside, with Agholor in the slot and Ertz with his hand in the dirt, it will be extremely difficult and nearly impossible for defensive coordinators to prepare for the Eagles offense in 11-personnel.
The Eagles are surrounding their franchise guy with as many weapons in the passing game as they can. To make this situation better, some players on the Eagles have redone their deals to free up some money to ensure this team can be the best it can be.
Howie Roseman, the Executive Vice President of Football Operations, is a master with the cap and people need to stop worrying about how much money is allocated at wide receiver. If Wentz throws for 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns, no one will even remember about how much the receivers are making. And to play devil’s advocate, if Wentz somehow struggles this year and doesn’t play well, it will be on him and not the money these receivers are making.
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What the Eagles have done at receiver has been fantastic and a huge step to win their second Super Bowl. Fans and some media members should stop worrying about the money tied up at wide receiver and shift their worries to the Eagles running back situation. Because if this team can add a legitimate starting running back, they could have the best offense in the entire NFL. And if they don’t add a running back, they may be glad this team did pay so much for their receivers in 2019.