Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith looking forward to playing with ‘special' Carson Wentz

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Way back in September, on Monday Night Football, Alshon Jeffery got an up-close look at his future teammate Carson Wentz.

He liked what he saw.

Of course, back on Sept. 19 in Chicago, Jeffery didn't know he'd join the Eagles this week. Back then, he was standing on the Bears' sideline as Wentz led the Eagles to a 29-14 win at Soldier Field in his second-ever NFL game.

What was Jeffery thinking as he watched?

"Yeah, wow," Jeffery remembered Friday. "This kid is going to be special."

The idea that Wentz is going to be special doesn't belong to Jeffery alone. The Eagles obviously hold that belief and so does fellow receiver Torrey Smith, who also joined the Eagles this week.

At the NovaCare Complex on Friday, both Jeffery and Smith said one of the reasons they came to the Eagles was the chance to play with Wentz, whom the team has billed as the franchise quarterback and the face of the organization.

"That had a lot to do with it," Jeffery said. "I mean, the sky's the limit for him. Me and him texted back and forth, I told him that my job is to help him win the MVP, which I truly believe. The sky's the limit for him. He's a great quarterback.

"He said, 'I don't really care about MVP. I want to win championships.' That's right. That's the right mindset, the right attitude. It means a lot for a young player to say that. Like I said, the sky's the limit for him."

Smith was nearly traded to the Eagles last season, but it never happened. Still, it allowed him to know how interested the Eagles were in him. He officially signed a three-year deal.

Living on the West Coast while playing for the 49ers over the last two years allowed Smith to catch plenty of other NFL games, so he's already seen some of Wentz.

"You can see that he has that 'it factor,'" Smith said. "He's still young so he's not perfect, but I know that he has the potential to get it done. To be able to play with a guy like that, also grow with him and help him in other ways, I'm looking forward to it."

Both Jeffery and Smith are looking forward to getting with Wentz and the other receivers to work out before the entire team gets back together for OTAs.

Eagles vice president of football operations Howie Roseman called it a "great compliment" that free agents want to come and play with Wentz.

But really, that's all a part of the plan.

For the first time in years -- dating back to Nick Foles or even really Donovan McNabb -- the Eagles have a young quarterback they think they can build a franchise around.

Here's what Roseman said last week at the combine about using Wentz as a tool in recruiting: "Having a quarterback that people say, 'I want to play with that guy, I want to build around that guy,' that's huge for you from a recruiting perspective.

"So, if things are close or even and people see that there's this opportunity to build chemistry with a guy over a long period of time, we think that will help us as we go and recruit players."

So far, that seems like it's working.

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