Why Eagles Need To Consider Trading Or Signing WR Prior To Week 1

Wide receiver was always at the forefront of the Philadelphia Eagles offseason.

This is the price a team pays when giving up a talent in A.J. Brown. Moving on from Brown was always going to be difficult, as a crucial aspect in his game is lacking in this current room.

Brown stood at 6-1, 226 pounds, but played like he was 6-4, 250 when the pads were on. His physicality stood out like a sore thumb, giving the Eagles that dynamic at wide receiver.

This current group doesn't have that presence -- at all.

With the Eagles waiving Johnny Wilson on Friday, they parted ways with their tallest and biggest receiver at 6-6, 228 pounds. Now that Wilson is off the roster, the Eagles sorely lack in height and weight at wide receiver.

These are the top-7 wideouts on the Eagles, listed by height and weight.

Player	Height	Weight
DeVonta Smith	6-0	170
Dontayvion Wicks	6-1	206
Makai Lemon	5-11	192
Hollywood Brown	5-9	170
Elijah Moore	5-10	178
Darius Cooper	5-11	210
Britain Covey	5-8	173

There isn't a top-7 wide receiver on this roster that is over 6-1, nor one that weighs over 210. Cooper is likely to make the roster, but he's not a lock (and he's the receiver that weighs 210). Wicks is the tallest of the top-7 receivers at 6-1.

Perhaps this is how the Eagles designed their revamped their wide receiver room. For a team that's going to base their offense on the run game and the offensive line, the Eagles need a bigger body at wide receiver.

They need to make a trade or sign a free agent before the regular season. The Eagles need to add physicality at wide receiver, along with the other roster holes they have.

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Could the Eagles fix this internally?

The Eagles aren't going to create a roster spot for one of their bigger wideouts on the 90-man roster. The biggest receiver on the 90-man is Erik Ezukanma (6-2, 206), so the options internally at the position are thin.

Cooper should play the blocking wideout with his physicality, but he doesn't have the height for that role (5-11). There just isn't any options at wide receiver, which is why the external option comes into play.

One of the tight ends could always move to add more physicality at wide receiver. Eli Stowers (6-3, 239) could add that presence in the slot, but he's had trouble creating separation this summer. The rookie also needs to work on his blocking.

The Eagles could also go into more "12 personnel" with Johnny Mundt (6-4, 245). Do the Eagles really want Mundt on the field that much, especially when he has a reputation as a blocker and not a pass catcher?

This is where the external option comes into play.

So who can the Eagles acquire?

The Eagles would have to wait until after the roster cutdowns to see who they can sign as a free agent. The current free agent pool is slim, as bigger wideouts with the size of Wilson are hard to find.

Perhaps the Eagles look to acquire another tight end, adding needed depth to that position and who can be an improvement over Mundt in the TE2 role. That allows Mundt to play the role as that extra blocker and Stowers to add to the wide receiver room in a hybrid receiver/tight end role with his size and athleticism.

The trade route prior to the roster deadline is always an option, and general manager Howie Roseman has made pre-roster deadline deals frequently. If Roseman sees an opportunity to add talent, he'll do it.

The Eagles don't need a star. They need a player that can provide much-needed depth and do the dirty work at wide receiver. They thought Wilson was going to be that player, but knee problems kept persisting.

Finding height and physicality at receiver is an underrated part of their offense, but a necessity if this team is going to base their offense around Saquon Barkley and the offensive line.

The Eagles can wait around and play this situation out, for the next few weeks at least.

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