After what Howie Roseman classified as a “disappointing” 2019 season, the Eagles have plenty of work to do this offseason. Free agency begins on March 18.
Here’s an early look at five free agent receiver targets for the Birds:
Amari Cooper: Cooper is one of the biggest pending free agents in the NFL this offseason and he’s not going to be cheap. You’d think the Cowboys are going to sign him to a long-term deal but they have to get their quarterback under contract too. Cooper (6-1, 210) is one of the best receivers in the league and would definitely help the Eagles but he’s going to be very expensive. Spotrac estimates his next contract to be five years, $98 million, for an average salary of nearly $20 million per season. That would be tough to swing, especially considering Alshon Jeffery’s expensive contract is guaranteed next session. But Cooper is still just 25 and is coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season and the best year of his career.
Emmanuel Sanders: Howie Roseman said the Eagles want to get faster and younger. Sanders (5-11, 180) fits only one of those requirements. He’ll turn 33 the day before free agency begins, which might be enough to cross him off the Eagles’ wish list. But he is about to play in a Super Bowl and in 10 games with the 49ers this year, he had 36 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns. When Sanders was on the trading block during the season, the Eagles were mentioned as a possible landing spot.
Robby Anderson: While Sanders is 33, Anderson (6-3, 190) is still just 26 and offers a deep threat the Eagles were missing without DeSean Jackson in 2019. Sure, DeSean is set to return but he’s 33 and adding more speed is still a good idea regardless. In his four-year career, Anderson has over 3,000 yards with an average of 14.8 yards per catch. The Temple product seems to make sense.
Breshad Perriman: OK, now we’re getting to the more affordable options. Perriman (6-2, 215) is a former first-round pick and he’s just 26 but he has been on three different teams in the last three years. It just so happens that his best season came in 2019 with the Bucs, when he caught 36 receptions for 645 yards (17.9) and six touchdowns. And it’s worth nothing that Perriman was drafted by the Ravens back in 2016 when Eagles VP of player personnel Andy Weidl was a regional scout with Baltimore.
Devin Funchess: After four years in Carolina, Funchess (6-4, 225) lasted just one game in Indianapolis before going down with a broken collarbone. A former second-round pick, his best season came in 2017, when he caught 63 passes for 840 yards and eight touchdowns.
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