The Eagles won't have to worry about defending Rishard Matthews this weekend, but maybe they shouldn't put him completely out of their minds.
It's a bit of a strange story. Matthews, a veteran wide receiver, has basically quit the Titans (see story). He reportedly says he's done with the Titans over how little he's been used in their offense.
Maybe the Titans try to trade him, but that seems unlikely because they have no leverage and because Matthews has a pretty expensive salary on his current contract.
#Titans trade possibility for Rishard Matthews is "doubtful," I hear. I then presume they are working through releasing him, and the issue there would be cash, right?— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) September 27, 2018
But if Matthews is released … that might pique the Eagles' interest. And it should.
Even with Alshon Jeffery set to return, the team is still lacking an outside receiver without Mike Wallace and Mack Hollins. Right now, we're looking at either Kamar Aiken or Jordan Matthews being the other outside receiver. That's not great.
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And while Rishard Matthews, 28, doesn't have blazing speed, he at least makes plays downfield. At least, he has over the last couple seasons in Tennessee. He's caught 30 passes of 20-plus yards since the start of the 2016 season. That's as many as Mike Evans and just four fewer than DeSean Jackson and Doug Baldwin.
He's also averaged 13.8 yards per catch in his career, but from 2015-17, he averaged 14.9 yards per catch. That's an element the Eagles' offense is clearly missing. And might still miss even after Jeffery's return.
The other part of this is character. Not sure how the Eagles will take Matthews walking away from his current team. But they're good at doing their homework and should be able to get a quick report about Matthews. He could probably help the offense. If he gets released, the Eagles should at least make a few calls.
