By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is here to pour cold water on your pageviews.
In this morning's press conference, Pederson addressed recent reports that the Eagles are targeting a wide receiver prior to the NFL's Nov. 1 trade deadline:
Doug on reports of Eagles trying to trade for receiver: "There's no legitimacy to that. Im happy with the guys we have here." #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/bEJpCossiE
— John Clark CSN (@JClarkCSN) October 26, 2016
Within the last 48 hours, the Eagles have been connected to both Torrey Smith of the San Francisco 49ers and Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears. While Jeffery would give the Eagles a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, adding Smith into the Eagles offense would give them someone that would stretch the field and seemingly be an upgrade over Josh Huff and Nelson Agholor.
Pederson noted in his press conference that he believes that both Agholor and Huff can serve the role of a field stretcher, though considering the duo has just 30 catches and 254 yards combined through the first four games, it's fair to wonder if even he really believes that.
There are a few things worth considering when taking Pederson's statements into account. First, Pederson isn't the general manager (technically, no one is), so even if he is aware of the team's attempt to potentially make an upgrade at the position, he's probably not privy to all the specifics. Secondly, even if the Eagles attempt to trade for Smith, Jeffery or someone else, it's rare to see high-profile trades completed during the NFL season and if one isn't done, Pederson will have to hope to get the most out of Huff, Agholor and his current receiving corps.
Jordan Matthews has been the team's best receiver through the first six games, having hauled in 25 catches for 354 yards. Still, Matthews hasn't performed like a No. 1 receiver, and with Zach Ertz not taking a step forward through the first six games, the Eagles lack of an elite threat at the position has become especially apparent.