Nick Piccone
The Eagles’ receivers this past season were among the worst in the league, tied for 27th overall in receiving in the NFL. That also includes their tight ends, so 27th overall is actually a better number than if the focus was solely on their wide receivers.
The Eagles then fired their wide receivers coach, Greg Lewis, last week. They’ve shown interest in the Bills’ receiver coach, Sanjay Lal, but didn’t hire him after they interviewed him last week.
And, now, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan, the Eagles will interview wide receivers coach Mike Groh, who was most recently was the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams actually had the worst receiving offense statistically in the league this season.
But, I mean, look at those Rams receivers. They’re actually worse than the Eagles’.
Groh’s interview, and possible hiring, might be worth more than just a wide receivers coach. Groh, during his time in Chicago as the Bears’ wide receivers coach, also worked with Joe Douglas, who is now the Eagles’ vice president of player personnel. Groh also worked with receivers like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. That’s where the interesting part comes in. While Marshall’s now a New York Jet, Jeffery’s set to become a free agent. Of course, the Bears could franchise him or offer him a contract he can’t say no to [Pro Football Focus thinks Jeffery will want a deal similar to Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, around five years and $70 million with $35 million guaranteed.]
RELATED: Jordan Matthews Will Probably Get Fined for Criticizing the Refs after the Game
The Eagles won’t have a tremendous amount of cap space like they did last offseason when Howie Roseman basically re-signed all of the guys already here. But if both Groh and Douglas are with the Eagles, that might sway Jeffery more in favor of signing with the Eagles if he feels more comfortable here and gets his money. I also think if the Eagles had a true No. 1 receiver, guys like Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor would perform better and not have as much pressure on them as they have now.
Of course, it’s all a pipe dream. The odds of Jeffery signing with the Eagles based on a former coach possibly coming here along with Douglas are likely very little. Groh’s last few years have been unimpressive, but if the Eagles think adding him to the coaching staff could help them land an elite receiver, I’m sure they’d do their due diligence. After all, they need all the help they can get.