NFL free agency does not begin for another month, but if rumors are to be believed, one thing is obvious — the Eagles are going to be making a push for a big-name free agent wide receiver.
Perhaps it is just smoke, but so far the Eagles have been linked through various reports to Chicago Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery, Washington Redskins receiver Pierre Garcon, San Francisco 49ers receiver Torrey Smith (via trade), Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills and, of course, Washington Redskins receiver DeSean Jackson.
That sure is a lot of smoke for there not to be any fire.
The Eagles interest in receivers should not be surprising, as their starting set of outside receivers last season — Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham — were among the worst in the league.
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With a young quarterback in Carson Wentz, top personnel executive Howie Roseman has not been shy about the Eagles’ desire to upgrade at the skill position.
It is possible the Eagles could do that through the draft, in the form of a receiver like Clemson’s Mike Williams, a tight end like Alabama’s O.J. Howard or a running back like Florida State’s Dalvin Cook.
As the Eagles found out with Agholor, however, a top prospect does not always equal top results. Agholor was viewed as a can’t-miss prospect coming out of USC, and some viewed him as the most pro-ready receiver in the draft in 2015.
In two seasons, however, Agholor has been a massive disappointment, which is why the Eagles are now once again in the market for a receiver.
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One pitfall in the Eagles’ attempt to sign a receiver could be their limited cap space.
The Eagles have only $15.2 million in cap space currently, which is among the lowest totals in the league.
If the reports are true, and Roseman is serious about making a run at one of the top receivers available, he is going to need to get creative with how he structures any contract offered to a receiver like Jeffery, who is going to have plenty of offers coming his way.
NFL free agency begins on March 9, but teams are allowed to start talking to impending free agents on March 7.
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Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.
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