Philadelphia Eagles 2016 first round pick Carson Wentz was okay as a rookie. Wanting more from him in 2017, the team went out and got him some weapons.
The Philadelphia Eagles are looking for QB Carson Wentz to make that bing jump in Year 2. He has a great offensive line protecting him but in order for him to do that, he needs WRs. RB Darren Sproles is a good checkdown option and TE Zach Ertz is solid over the middle.
Fellow WR Jordan Matthews is still with the Eagles to do his damage underneath too. But the Eagles need more from their WR corps, especially when it comes to stretching the field. Before Wentz went to Philly last year, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin were gone.
And youngsters Dorial Green-Beckham and Nelson Agholor aren’t reliable. So the Eagles went out and got Wentz some firepower to get the job done in 2017. They started with deep threat Torrey Smith, signing him for three years and $15 million.
Smith’s last great season was in 2013, when he had 1,128 yards and four TDs. He hasn’t done so well since he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2015. But it wasn’t his fault, being a vertical WR that was displaced in then HC Chip Kelly’s horizontal offense.
There is a team option after one year so Smith needs to impress the Eagles right away. The Eagles didn’t stop there, bringing in a big vertical WR in Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery is looking to bet on himself this year and look for a big contract next year.
So he signed a one-year contract for $14 million when the league year started Thursday. So that’s two vertical WRs to go with the offensive skill position players they already have. And with the offensive line they have, all they need is an RB.
If the offense catches up to the defense in 2017, it will be a great year!