Eagles Offseason Overview: Wide receiver

EAGLES POSITIONAL REVIEWS

During the next two weeks, The Inquirer will preview the Eagles' offseason. Free agency begins on March 10, and the draft is April 30-May 2. 

Mon. Feb. 23: Quarterback; Tues. Feb. 24: Offensive line; Wed., Feb. 25: Running back; Thurs., Feb. 26: Wide Receiver; Fri., Feb. 27: Tight end/specialists

Mon, March 2: Defensive line; Tues., March 3: Outside linebacker; Wed., March 4: Inside linebacker; Thurs., March 5: Cornerback; Fri., March 6: Safeties

WIDE RECEIVER

UNDER CONTRACT

You take Jeremy Maclin out of the equation and the Eagles' list of wide receivers under contract is kind of frightening. I'll get to Maclin, the ongoing contract negotiations between the Eagles and the receiver, and why I think he'll be returning further down. But when Riley Cooper is currently listed as your No. 1 outside receiver, you know you have some work to do this offseason. Jordan Matthews has already eclipsed Cooper as a ball catcher, but I'm not sure he makes a move outside. The Eagles identified Matthews as a slot receiver the moment he was drafted and I think that is where he is best suited. Could Matthews start on the outside and move inside in "11" personnel? Perhaps. But Cooper isn't going anywhere – $3 million of his $4 million base salary is guaranteed and the Eagles would take a $6.2 million salary cap hit if he were to be released – and Chip Kelly still seems to see value in the 27-year-old.

Cooper caught more passes in 2014 (55) than 2013 (47), but his per-catch average dropped dramatically (17.8 to 10.5) as did his touchdown catches (eight to three). He averaged 1.02 yards per route run, last in the NFL among receivers that played 50 percent or more of their team's snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Cooper is an above average blocker, and he seemed most affected by Nick Foles' regression and eventual injury, but he has little upside at this point and shouldn't be assured a starting spot.

That doesn't mean Kelly won't stick with Cooper, a player he has defended like no other. But Matthews (67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns) and Josh Huff should have opportunities to take snaps away. Huff was slowed by a shoulder injury early last season, but when he did finally play made more mistakes than plays. He flashed a few times with the ball in his hands, but getting open and catching the ball downfield were struggles. There's room for growth and perhaps he makes a leap in Year 2, but he may be best utilized as a situational receiver-runner and on special teams.

Will Murphy, Kelly's Dallas Reynolds, was signed off the practice squad in January, along with rookie Quron Pratt.

ROSTER DECISIONS

Maclin should be the No. 1 priority for the Eagles before free agency starts on March 10. They lose him and they're really going to have to pay if they want to sign a free agent of comparable skill -- if there is one remaining. It shouldn't come to that. Maclin wants to stay, the Eagles want him, and last I heard they weren't significantly far apart. He should end up with a contract somewhere in the $9.5-$10 million a year range with most of around $20 million guaranteed in the first two years. If a deal can't be struck by Monday afternoon, the Eagles will have to decide whether or not to use the franchise tag ($12.8 million). It's unlikely the Eagles will want to pay Maclin that much over one season. He rolled the dice signing a one-year contract and delivered a career season (85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns) in 2014, but Maclin is still viewed around the league as just a smidge below the elite set of receivers. Kelly probably places more worth on Maclin because he knows the intangibles (full effort, team leader, high character) he brings to the table, but the Eagles would probably only use the tag to buy time and keep Maclin off the market.

Brad Smith is an unrestricted free agent and is unlikely to return. The 31-year old was a Jack-of-all-trades and a player Kelly had increasingly come to trust. But he made little contribution on offense and was partly responsible for one of the Eagles' biggest blunders last season – the opening muffed kick against the Cowboys in December. Jeff Maehl, another of Kelly's former Oregon players, was inactive for seven of the last eight games. He's an exclusive rights free agent, which means all the Eagles have to do is tender him a minimum offer if they want to retain his rights.

FREE AGENT OPTIONS

Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas are the top two free agent receivers, but neither is expected to hit the open market. The Cowboys and Broncos will likely either ink their Pro Bowlers to long-term deals or tag them by Monday. There's a rumor about Bryant, a Wal-Mart parking lot and video surveillance floating around, but it shouldn't stop Dallas from franchising the 26-year-old receiver.

Randall Cobb is probably the only other free agent receiver that could play next season under the franchise tag. But $12.8 million is still a bundle to pay a receiver that lines up primarily in the slot, plays alongside Jordy Nelson and could have his production replaced by promising second-year receiver Davante Adams. Cobb is only 24 and easily put up the best numbers of his career (91 catches for 1,287 yards and 12 TDs) in 2014.

If the Eagles were to lose Maclin, Cobb could be an option if he were to remain unsigned by March 10. He's younger, but not as skilled as Maclin, in my opinion. I would say the same about Torrey Smith. He's had a solid first four seasons, and is probably a greater deep threat, but his numbers dipped last season (49 catches for 767 yards) after Steve Smith was brought aboard.

Assuming Maclin is back, I could see the Eagles taking a flyer on a younger, less accomplished free agent, perhaps someone that could push Cooper. I'm not entirely sure what the market will be for the Redskins' Leonard Hankerson, but he has some potential. He has decent size (6-foot-2, 211 pounds) and was productive in his first three seasons (81 catches for 1,081 for six touchdowns) before missing most of last year with a knee injury.

DRAFT OPTIONS

The top two prospects -- Alabama's Amari Cooper (6-1, 211) and West Virginia's Kevin White (6-3, 215) – will be long gone before the Eagles pick at No. 20. It is highly unlikely Kelly would move up for either, especially if Maclin re-signs. Louisville's DeVante Parker (6-3, 209) will probably be a top 15 pick, too. The Eagles need defensive help, but the draft is once again full of top-flight receiver prospects and there may be one too good to pass up in the first round.

Oklahoma's Dorial Green-Beckham (6-5, 237) may be the most gifted receiver. He has that rare blend of size and speed, but he also has a checkered past. The Eagles may not even have him on their draft board. Arizona State's Jaleen Strong (6-2, 217) and Auburn's Sammie Coates (6-1, 212) are possible late first round targets. Michigan's Devin Funchess (6-4, 232) played tight end in college, but ran with the receivers at the combine. He had the slowest 40-yard dash (4.70 seconds), but you don't draft a guy with that kind of size because of his straight-line speed. Funchess looks like a second-day option. Ohio State's Devin Smith (6-0, 196) is the polar opposite. He's small and quick and could slip into the second round, although some scouts think he's a first round talent.

I think the Eagles would be more inclined to take a receiver in the mid-late rounds, a developmental receiver that would be ready to step into Cooper's outside spot in 2016. Georgia's Chris Conley (6-2, 213, 33-3/4-inch arms) probably improved his stock with a ridiculous showing at the combine – a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and a 45-inch vertical leap – but he was a prospect I liked prior. He didn't put up spellbinding numbers in college, but Georgia's offense was run-based and Conley still averaged 18.3 yards a catch as a senior.

Central Florida's Breshad Perriman (6-2, 212), the son of former NFL receiver Brett Perrima, could be intriguing in the third or fourth round. Georgia Tech's Darren Waller (6-6, 238) has Green-Beckham's size and speed (he ran a 4.46-second 40 at the combine), but he's viewed as a second or third day talent. He didn't see the ball much in college, but when he did he averaged 17.0 yards per grab. If Kelly is adamant about length, UNLV's DeVante Davis (6-3, 220) and Rice's Jordan Taylor (6-5, 204) could be late-round projects.