Looking Ahead to the Philadelphia Eagles Offseason

No one can put the blame solely on Wentz. He has not had a lot to work with, as his wide receivers have been hurt or simply not produced. Among the culprits are Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, who have missed most of the last two years due to injury.

No matter what ends up happening at the quarterback position, the Eagles know that they need to bring in more weapons. Jalen Reagor was added in the 2020 NFL Draft, but Philadelphia took him ahead of guys like Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, and Tee Higgins.

Obviously, hindsight is perfect, but the Eagles may have made a mistake. Reagor has had moments where he has shown big-time potential, but the Eagles need more consistency.

Looking ahead to the Philadelphia Eagles offseason, the team will have some decisions to make. They need to find a way to move on from both Jeffery and Jackson. Neither guy should be brought back if they can help it.

Then, the franchise has to find a way to make improvements to their offense. One free agent, in particular, should be a must-pursue free agent.

Philadelphia Eagles Offseason: Which Free Agent Must They Pursue?

JuJu Smith-Schuster is set to hit the open free agency market this offseason. He has had another down year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but would still be a big-time upgrade for the Eagles. There is a good chance that he would come in and immediately take over the number one wide receiver job.

So far this season with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster has caught 73 passes for 600 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers aren"t shabby, but they aren"t what he was hoping for, however, the Steelers did add a lot of wide receiver talent to their roster in Chase Claypool.

At just 24 years old, Smith-Schuster would be worth the money it would take to sign him. He could be a long-term fixture for the Eagles" offense.

Spotrac.com has currently placed Smith-Schuster"s market value at $15.5 million per season. That"s a lot of money, but the Eagles cannot afford to be cheap if they want to get back into Super Bowl contention.

Needless to say, the Eagles could also use a little more swagger offensively. They have looked lethargic over the last couple of years. If there is one player that could bring a swagger, Smith-Schuster would be that guy.

Philadelphia Eagles Offseason: How Smith-Schuster Fits

Let"s get into the most important part of this entire situation. How would Smith-Schuster fit with the Eagles and what could they expect from him?

There are major concerns with the lack of production that Smith-Schuster has had over the last two years with the Steelers. His value may very well have taken a hit. Back in the 2018 season, he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns and many thought he was on his way to superstar status.

Those numbers happened to come while he was playing alongside Antonio Brown. Many thought his production would stay the same, while others felt that Smith-Schuster was a product of playing alongside one of the NFL"s most lethal wideouts.

Right now, there are concerns that the latter has ended up being true.

Despite the lower numbers, there is no reason to shy away from signing JuJu Smith-Schuster. He may never be a top-five wide receiver, but the Eagles wouldn"t need him to be. They would simply need him to be a consistent weapon for either Wentz or Hurts to utilize.

Smith-Schuster would be a much better option than what the Eagles have had this season. Travis Fulgham has shown flashes but has lacked consistency. Greg Ward is a solid wideout, but he is nowhere near a top target.

Spending the money to bring in Smith-Schuster would be worth the risk. He may end up being a bust, but that seems unlikely. The more likely scenario is that he comes in and puts up around 80-90 receptions per year and comes close to 1,000 yards and eight to 10 touchdowns.

If those are indeed the numbers that Smith-Schuster could provide for the Eagles, they need to make the move. Plenty of other teams will have interest in signing him, but Philadelphia could have a fighting chance.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the Philadelphia Eagles offseason looks like. They have a lot of needs and the biggest comes at the wide receiver position. JuJu Smith-Schuster could end up being a perfect answer for them.

Follow me on Twitter @massey_evan for more NFL content and also follow @OTH_Football and @OT_Heroics.

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