The Eagles have brought back one of Carson Wentz's favorite weapons just in time for Wentz's first start of the 2018 season.
In desperate need of some help at wide receiver, the Eagles have signed former draft pick Jordan Matthews. To make room on the roster, they placed Mike Wallace (fracture fibula) on Injured Reserve.
This makes sense. Aside from being really close with Wentz, Matthews knows Doug Pederson's offense from playing in it during the 2016 season. And with limited time to prepare for Sunday's game against the Colts, the Eagles needed to bring in some plug-and-play help. Matthews fits that bill.
Matthews isn't a great receiver, but as a short-term fix, the Eagles could do much worse (see story).
The 26-year-old receiver has been a free agent since the Patriots released him with an injury settlement on Aug. 1. Matthews suffered a hamstring injury in training camp.
You'll remember that Matthews was part of the return the Eagles sent to Buffalo in the Ronald Darby trade back in August of 2017. The Eagles needed help at corner and trading Matthews allowed Nelson Agholor to slide into the slot, where he had a breakout season.
But Matthews was able to play in just 10 games with the Bills and ended the season - the final of his rookie contract - on Injured Reserve. He signed with the Patriots in April, but didn't make it through training camp before the hamstring injury happened.
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At time of the trade in 2017, Wentz was visibly upset about his first glimpse into the business side of football. He and Matthews had a very close friendship and it was tough for him to see Matthews go.
Who knows how much Matthews will be able to bring to the Eagles this season, but he'll be able to help. After the Birds released DeAndre Carter on Tuesday, they were left with just three healthy receivers: Agholor, Kamar Aiken and Shelton Gibson.
While Matthews had an injury-plagued season in Buffalo last year, he put together three good seasons to start his career in Philly. All three years, he caught at least 67 passes for at least 800 yards. His best season came in 2015, when he had 85 catches for 997 yards and eight touchdowns.
