Eagles Outlook: Veteran WR listed as priority free agent for Nick Sirianni's offense this offseason

The Philadelphia Eagles have a pretty stacked offensive unit.

Jalen Hurts has solidified himself as a franchise QB, DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown are arguably the best WR duo in football, Dallas Goedert is among the best tight ends in the game, and they have a top-three offensive line. You’d be hard pressed to find a major weakness with this group.

As we all know by this point, GM Howie Roseman is never satisfied when it comes to adding talent. If there’s an opportunity to upgrade his roster, he more often than not is going to take it.

Looking at the Eagles WR corps, adding a veteran slot receiver is not out of the question for Howie and Co. this offseason. Quez Watkins is young, but his production tapered off dramatically from 2021 to 2022.

Watkins stats in 2021 vs. 2022

	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
2021	43	647	1
2022	33	354	3

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Of course, adding Brown to the WR group was always going to take away from Watkins’ overall numbers. While he’s good for the occasional splash play, Watkins was a non-factor in the receiving game for most of the season.

Looking ahead to the offseason, there are a number of veteran slot receivers who could help bolster the Eagles group. Pro Football Focus recently listed priority offensive free agents for each team entering the offseason. For the Eagles, PFF named WR Jarvis Landry as a clear-cut fit in Nick Sirianni’s offense.

PFF on why the Eagles should pursue Landry this offseason

The Eagles will be busy working to bring back almost their entire starting defense this offseason, and after trading for and extending wide receiver A.J. Brown last offseason, odds are they’ll make just minor additions in 2023 — especially if they extend quarterback Jalen Hurts as expected.

Landry averages a low target depth from the slot and could feast underneath with so much attention on the outside. And after missing most of the 2022 season with an injury, he is likely looking at one-year flier contract offers once again in 2023. Much like JuJu Smith-Schuster with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, if Landry wants to boost his stock by going to a high-powered offense and contending for a Super Bowl, Philadelphia is a great option.

Landry is also known to be a good veteran leader, which could be a nice addition to a young group of offensive weapons. He’s coming off the two worst seasons of his career but was arguably the best slot receiver in the NFL from 2015-20. His 3,938 receiving yards, 1,748 yards after the catch, 1,166 yards after contact and 91 explosive receptions were all the most among receivers when lined up in the slot over the span, and he could bounce back in a major way in 2023.

Once upon a time, Landry was one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. From 2015 to 2020, Landry averaged 92 receptions per year, 1,045 yards, and five touchdowns. Over the past two seasons, his production has essentially fallen off a cliff. In 2022, Landry only suited up for nine games and made three starts. In those games, Landry caught just 25 passes for 272 yards and one touchdown.

There are a handful of reasons for Landry’s lowly production this season – injuries and subpar quarterback play being the main culprits.

Adding Landry to a WR corps that consists of Brown and Smith on the outside, along with Goedert at tight end, could be exactly what Landry needs to get his career back on track. Not to mention, Hurts would arguably be the best QB Landry has ever played with.

If/when Landry hits the open market, expect the Eagles to make a push to sign him.