FanPost

A Case For A Trade For Wright



To say the Philadelphia Eagles passing game last year left a lot to be desired would be quite the understatement. Especially with the WRs.

Despite a year's worth of NFL experience under the belts of Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff, both turned in underwhelming sophomore seasons. Matthews while showing improvement, left quite a number of catches and yards on the field with numerous dropped passes and inconsistent play. Huff, despite the preseason hype and Kelly's full support, was barely a factor throughout the season constantly being taken out of games by opposing passing defenses.

The team's 1st round pick Nelson Agholor, despite being labeled as a possible Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate, turned in a season to forget, grading out as the worst receiver in the NFL last year.

And the rest of the field wasn't much better. Riley Cooper was held catch-less in 7 games this year despite being the teams highest paid receiver (laughably) and Miles Austin was essentially stealing money despite Chip's constant chants of his "veteran presense." Krause and Ajirotutu were never supposed do much outside of special teams, so no vilification need be sent there way.

Regardless of who is under center come next season, the Eagles should be looking to improve their receiver position. Matthews is clearly the best of the bunch, but he has his limitations. I maintain the thought that Agholor was nothing short of a Robert Woods/Marquis Lee clone who was over drafted by at least a round (regardless of what any draft expert said), but he can't play any worse that he did last year. Huff.....I've given up on the "potential" he supposedly brings. He is at best a 4th receiver and should focus on KR in my opinion. Austin is gone (thankfully) and Riley Cooper really should be next.

The FA market is pretty dry this off-season in terms of receivers. The common thought is the Eagles should look to the draft to pick up a WR, but I doubt they will and really they shouldn't. The Eagles have drafted 3 WRs in the top 3 rounds (top 90 picks more specifically) in the last 2 years. There are other positions of need there as well as you don't want to keep utilizing top picks to stack one position because you set yourself back by doing as such.

So with those options off the table, only one place is left....the trade market.

Without shelling out too much, there are few players (if any) to be had. A large amount of guys are starting to get to "that" age (Vincent Jackson) or just cashed in on their FA or good seasons (T. Smith or Cobb), so the market is bland unless you are willing to cough up value. Which brings me to my number one pick for a trade.....Kendall Wright.

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For those who don't know who Kendall Wright is:

Kendall Wright is a WR for the Tennessee Titans. He was a 1st round draft pick out of Baylor coming off an All-American season in 2011 (108 receptions, 1,633 yards, 14 TDs). He was selected 20th overall by the Titans in the 2012 draft. In 55 career games, he has accumulated 251 catches, 2,828 yards and 15 TDs. In 2013, he turned in his best season as a pro with 94 catches, 1079 yards, and 2 TDs.

What to like about Wright:

Don't get me wrong, Kendall is no ground-breaking receiver. He's not up there with the Julio's, Antonio's, and Beckham's of the world. But he has a skill set that makes him formidable. With his 4.37 speed, Kendall offers a speed the Eagles lacked on the outside last year in wake of Jeremy Maclin's departure.

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And despite his slight size, Wright is capable of making contested catches.

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In my opinion, Kendall Wright is what we hoped we were supposed to be getting with Josh Huff. Of his 2,828 yards, 1,440 (50.9%) of his yards have come after the catch.

What not to like about Wright:

There is no getting around his small frame. (5-10, 191). Wright would be the smallest WR among the group without a doubt. And not to mention, his injury history. Wright has only played 1 full 16 game season. This past season he only played in 10 games in dealing with a knee injury most of the season. To add onto that, despite being a 1st rounder, Wright was never a full season starter. In 2013, he started 12/16 games, the most of his career. In addition, Wright isn't exactly a redzone threat. Despite 55 games and 251 catches, he only has 15 TDs (about 3-4 TDs per season).

Also, while it doesn't matter to some, Kendall does have a, we'll say "swag" to him...

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No where close to DeSean's level....but people are sensitive.

Why the Eagles should trade for him: As mentioned above, Kendall isn't a world beating receiver, but would be an improvement and would make an average-below average receiving core for the Eagles respectable. He would add a deep threat ability the Eagles lacked this past season. Whether Bradford or whoever taking snaps next year, Wright is seasoned and productive and would make the Eagles' passing attack better. Plus, Wright is a young guy not even in his prime as of yet. He is more likely to make an immediate impact on the Eagles than any player who is drafted.

Why the Eagles shouldn't trade for him: The Eagles may want to see what they have in Agholor, Huff, and Matthews in seeing those guys continue to grow. Also, with Wright in the final year of his rookie deal, who knows what could happen after the season. The Eagles may not be interested in a one year rental after possibly doing it with Bradford. Finally, as mentioned, Wright does have an injury history on his belt.

Why the Titans make this trade: Kendall Wright was notably upset with his role in the Titans offense last year. While Kendall is young, there is no guarantee he will resign with the team. The Titans have yet to approach him about a contract extension (not surprisingly) and he is scheduled to make $7.3 million next year.

And contrary to popular belief about what the Eagles are doing, the Titans are ACTUALLY in rebuilding mode and may want to rebuild that outside group since it was part of the Fisher regime. The Titans had the fewest catches in the NFL by WRs this season and a big part of that was Kendall's absence. They may deem him unreliable due to his injury history. It may be smart to try to get a draft pick out of him if the believe he will depart.

Why the Titans don't make this trade: Kendall is the best of the Titans WR group. DGB is a freak, but is still young and has yet to really start making a his mark in the league and the Titans may want to keep as much consistency and experience around Mariota as he continues to grow. And while Wright may have been unhappy with his role last year in the offense, Wright has actually shown to be a pretty good teammate as he had nothing but good things to say about the drafting of Mariota last draft. Also, while Wright hasn't been offered an extension or had any discussions, that doesn't mean he won't be. The Titans are in no hurry as they have the year to decide what they would like to do (not to mention the entire off-season). They did pick up his 5th year option after all.

Conclusion: In an underwhelming WR FA market, if the Eagles are looking to improve on the outside, the trade market seems the likely place to look. And Wright would be a worth a look for sure. I don't believe he would cost too much if the Eagles were to make a deal (a 3rd rounder and late rounder or player would probably work). And he would add an immediate impact if added if he has a clean bill of health. I know everyone wants the 6-3, 220 lb behemoth who will run roughshod on opposing defenses, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. And I would be fine with any upgrade as long as it is an upgrade. And I believe Wright would be one.