Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Position Breakdowns: Slot Receivers
Every year the NFL comes out with their All-Pro teams or Best Players Under 25 teams and every single time they use 2 running backs and zero slot receivers. This position never gets any love, despite the fact that it’s the reason Tom Brady is playing at such a high level into his early 40s. Slot receivers get open in a hurry and have become the best counter to a good blitz.
The Eagles used to rely on Jason Avant for this role. He was a nice slot guy, but didn’t have the separation skills to really stand out. Then they drafted Jordan Matthews for the same role, but again, no separation skills. He was basically a bigger Jason Avant with worse hands.
The Eagles brought in 5 true slot receivers(not that some of their outside receivers won’t see time in the slot as well) to camp. One established veteran and four players fighting to be that 5th or 6th receiver on the roster and potential replacement for Nelson Agholor in a year or two(should the Eagles decide to trade him or let him go after the 2019 season).
Nelson Agholor- At this time last year, it was just pure speculation that Agholor was going to play in the slot and a huge chunk of fans had already given up on him and labeled him as a bust. Now Agholor is a huge part of the Eagles offense, the team picked up his option for 2019 and he is a player that could make a run at 1,000 yards, even on an offense with Alshon Jeffery, Mike Wallace and Zach Ertz.
The coaching staff is going to look for more of the same with Agholor and to keep building up that chemistry with Carson Wentz. One bounce back year nice, doing it all over again will prove he’s here to stay as a top tier slot wide out.
Greg Ward- Ward is a player you should pay close attention to in preseason. He fits the mold of an NFL slot receiver. He lacks size, but he’s really quick and smooth with his routes, plus he’s a tough enough to survive making plays in traffic. Last season he was an undrafted rookie trying to crack the roster. He landed on the practice squad and now has a better feel for life in the NFL and the Eagles offense.
If the Eagles are thinking about phasing out Agholor next season(he’ll make close to $10 mil in 2019) then Ward is a player they might want to hold onto. He has value as a potential core special teamer and a versatile receiver who also was a pretty good quarterback in college. He can take over Trey Burton’s role in the Philly Special.
Marquess Wilson- I’ve been a Wilson fan since he was at Washington State. He’s a big target in the slot (6'4, 194) with pretty good quickness for his size(6.65 3-cone at 2013 NFL Combine). When healthy he’s a quicker version of Jordan Matthews.
In June of 2016 he broke his foot and started the season on the PUP list for the Chicago Bears. In the prior season he racked up 51 receptions for 464 yards in just 11 games while playing alongside Alshon Jeffery. He spent the summer of 2017 with the Jets, but was cut on August 23rd.
He’s two years removed from a broken foot and should be healthy now. I love his fit in this offense, playing with a familiar face and getting a lot of reps with the second and third team offenses this summer. It will be interesting if Wilson or Ward get more reps in the slot behind Agholor in camp.
Tim Wilson- The Eagles other Wilson is one of the few survivors from their mini-camp tryouts. He’s 5'9, 170 and is a 24 year old undrafted rookie from East Stroudsburgh University(Division II). That’s about all I know about this kid. He went to a small school, is a local prospect and a former track star in high school. He’ll be a nice story early in camp, but reps will be hard to come by with so much depth at wide receiver.
Rashard Davis- Davis was a late addition to the Eagles summer roster last season, about halfway through preseason. He didn’t make the 53 man roster last year as an undrafted free agent from James Madison, but he did manage to make the practice squad and survive being released off the practice squad twice in 2017.
I was impressed the few times he did get touches in preseason last year. He might be the quickest athlete on the roster right now, though I don’t think he knows how to use it just yet. If he can figure out his timing and patience, I think he can be a really dynamic return man at this level.
The punt return role is where he can make this team. Darren Sproles is coming off ACL surgery and playing in his final season and Kenjon Barner is no longer with the team(he took over Sproles role last season).
