Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles lose a backup receiver to Gannon's Cards

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Nick Sirianni favorite Zach Pascal is apparently a Jonathan Gannon favorite as well.

Pascal, who caught 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown in his one year with the Eagles, signed a two-year free agent contract with the Cards Monday, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Pascal was with Gannon in Indianapolis along with Sirianni under Frank Reich from 2018 through 2020 and with Gannon and Sirianni with the Eagles this past season.

MORE: Eagles reportedly losing C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency

The Eagles signed Pascal for his blocking, toughness and leadership but also as a reliable backup receiver, but after averaging 41 catches for 472 yards and four TDs in four years in Indy, he was really a non-factor as a receiver this past season.

After a 57-yard game in Week 7 vs. the Steelers, he caught only 10 passes for 69 yards in his last 13 games – that’s about 5 ½ yards per game.

Of 115 wide receivers who played at least 300 snaps this year, only three had fewer yards than Pascal (Keelan Cole, former Eagle Marcus Johnson and Cam Sims).

The only other Eagles receiver since Stathead began tracking snap counts in 2012 to play over 300 snaps and have 150 or fewer yards was Mack Hollins in 2019 (395 snaps, 125 yards). 

As brilliant as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were this past season, the Eagles didn’t get much production from their other receivers. 

Quez Watkins’s snaps dropped by only 90 – from 771 to 681 – but his receiving yards fell from 647 to 354 and yards per target fell from 15.0 to 10.7. With fumbles and drops – including a costly one in the Super Bowl – he had a direct hand in three of the Eagles’ four losses.

Watkins remains under contract for one more year, but with Pascal gone the only other experienced receiver under contract is Greg Ward, who spent most of last year on the practice squad, never got into a game and has only seven catches since 2020, along with guys like Tyrie Cleveland, Britain Covey and Devon Allen. Cleveland has eight career receptions, Covey doesn’t have any and Allen has never been on the 53.

Howie Roseman has selected 11 wide receivers in his 12 drafts with the Eagles, including five in the first three rounds – Josh Huff and Jordan Matthews in 2014, Shelton Gibson and Mack Hollins in 2017, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in 2019, Watkins and John Hightower in 2020 and Smith in 2021.

The Eagles have now lost 10 players from the 2022 NFC Champions – starters Javon Hargrave (49ers), T.J. Edwards (Bears), Marcus Epps (Raiders), Kyzir White (Cards), Miles Sanders (Panthers), Isaac Seumalo (Steelers) and C.J. Gardner-Johnson as well as backups Gardner Minshew (Colts), Andre Dillard (Titans) and Pascal.

They’ve signed Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, as well as James Bradberry, Boston Scott, Rashaad Penny, Greedy Williams and Marcus Mariota and restructured Darius Slay.

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