Throughout the offseason, so much emphasis was placed on the quarterback of the present and the quarterback of the future, both which seem to have been resolved over the last couple of weeks.
Quarterback is the most vital position of the offense since everything runs through it. But more than Sam Bradford or Carson Wentz, the most important position for the Eagles this season and an indicator of what kind of success they could achieve as early as this season or in the near future is the wide receiver position.
Usually, we spend so much time focusing on the throw that we don't give proper attention to the other end of the exchange: the catch, the run after, the milliseconds and inches that determine first downs, touchdowns and turnovers on downs.
For the Eagles, the wide receiver position has been as much of a development process as Wentz will be. While still under the tutelage of Chip Kelly, the Eagles drafted Jordan Matthews in the second round in 2014 and Nelson Agholor in the first round of the 2015 Draft. Two years later, with Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and Miles Austin gone, there is no more safety net for Agholor and Matthews. They will be the two starting wide receivers.
With Matthews in just his third season and Agholor in his second, both have so much to still prove.
Matthews was excellent in his rookie year and did put up solid numbers in his sophomore campaign as well — 85 receptions, 997 yards and eight touchdowns — but also had five drops, according to Sporting Charts. In his rookie season, Matthews also had eight touchdowns, but had a better yards per catch total than his 2015 season with 23 fewer targets. He had six official drops in 2014, but as a rookie, he was not the primary target. Matthews 126 targets in 2015 led the team. His 103 targets in 2014 ranked second to Maclin.
Agholor's rookie season left a lot to be desired. After being selected with the 20th overall pick, he was seldom used in the offense. In 13 games, including 12 starts, Agholor was targeted just 44 times and finished the season with 23 receptions for 283 yards and one touchdown. The rookie receivers also had four official drops.
It doesn't seem like much, but when you consider that Matthews finished the season with just five in 126 targets, a drop rate of 3.9 percent, it makes Agholor's drop rate of 9.1 percent look astronomical. In fact, among the highest drop rates for players with at least 25 targets in the 2015 season, three of the Top 13 "receivers" were Eagles players — Ryan Mathews at 14.3 percent, DeMarco Murray at 10.9 percent and Agholor's 9.1 percent.
Drops across the board were a problem, but the wide receivers, especially players like Agholor, were essentially factored out of Chip Kelly's passing offense as the season progressed. For a player with Agholor's hype, he has to start living up to it. Matthews doesn't need to prove he has the talent, but needs to show a more polished version of himself, especially now that he is the No. 1 receiver.
The Eagles may need the quarterback to do his part in helping this situation, but the wide receivers must carry some of the weight of that as well. If the west coast offense is going to bring a greater emphasis on involving the tight ends, then that should open up some room for the wide receivers.
At tight end, there isn't nearly as much of a worry. Zach Ertz and Brent Celek have proven to be serviceable at their position, with Ertz showing signs late last season of emerging into a superstar. Now it's the wide receivers turn to prove that they are growing into similar stature and can help lead the Eagles offense back to the top of key offensive categories around the league.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
