Now, less than a month until the start of free agency, the 30 NFL teams not competing in Super Bowl LI this weekend are focusing on the offseason. There’s a whole lot of work for these clubs to do in order to be playing in this big game next season.
The Philadelphia Eagles can definitely be included in this list. After starting the 2016 campaign with a 3-0 mark, Philadelphia lost nine of its past 13 games to finish under .500 and in last place in the NFC East.
It’s not necessarily a surprise that the Eagles struggled with a rookie quarterback under center. But in reality, Carson Wentz did not receive a ton of help from his receiving group. This makes it extremely likely that Philadelphia will target a couple receivers during the offseason.
According to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, Philadelphia is set to go after Miami Dolphins pass catcher Kenny Stills in free agency.
“If Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills becomes a free agent on March 9, the Eagles are expected to make a push to sign him, a source familiar with the situation who requested anonymity informed NJ Advance Media,” the report read.
Stills, 24, put up 42 catches for 726 yards and nine touchdowns in Miami last season. He’s likely going to be one of the most highly-coveted free-agent receivers on the market.
For Philadelphia, it really is all about adding more pass-catching options for Wentz. The team was seemingly in a decent position at receiver heading into the 2016 season. Jordan Matthews looked like a potential No. 1 option and 2015 first-round pick Nelson Agholor seemed destined to have a breakout sophomore season. Add in Josh Huff’s play-making ability, and things seemed to be good here.
Unfortunately, none of that came to fruition. Matthews continued to struggle with drops and Agholor performed so poorly that he was eventually taken out of the rotation. Meanwhile, Huff was waived by the Eagles after an off-field incident.
Philadelphia has been linked to DeSean Jackson in free agency. But if the team doesn’t want to go back to that enigmatic figure, Stills could be a decent and younger option. After all, he did average 17.3 yards per catch this past season and could provide the strong-armed Wentz with a tremendous down-field option.