The Philadelphia Eagles can now lay claims to having one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL after they acquired Darius Slay from the Lions for draft picks.
Over the past few seasons, the Eagles have suffered at the hands of top-flight wide receivers and during the 2020 NFL season, they’ll face some of the best pass catchers on the planet.
The Eagles will play their three NFC East opponents (Dal, NYG, Was), four AFC North opponents (Bal, Cle, Pit, Cin) along with four teams from the NFC West (49ers, Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals) as well as the Saints and Packers.
That’s some heavyweight wide receiver play and a reason why some analysts and prognosticators believe the Eagles will have a hard time repeating as NFC East champions.
In the division, they’ll see Amari Cooper twice, along with Sterling Shephard and the dynamic Terry McLaurin.
During the four-game AFC North jaunt, they’ll face Marquise Hollywood Brown (Antonio Brown’s cousin), a huge matchup with Odell Beckham Jr., JuJu Smith-Schuster, and A.J. Green.
In the NFC West, Slay and the Eagles will face Deebo Samuel, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Robert Woods, and the electric DeAndre Hopkins.
And finally, Slay will have an all-world matchup with the Saints Michael Thomas and the Packers Davante Adams.
If all these guys are healthy, Slay and the Eagles secondary could arguably end up-facing five of the top-12 wideouts in the NFL this season.
With the virtual offseason progressing, we rank the No. 1 wide receivers on the Eagles 2020 NFL schedule.
If the team has no clear cut No. 1, then we ranked the top-2.
***
12. Deebo Samuel
A player that the Eagles could have chosen ahead of JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Samuel burst onto the scene with the 49ers and he’s going to be a really good one.
Samuel amassed 961 yards total from scrimmage last season – 802 through the air and 159 on the ground. That surpassed the previous high of 953 by Jerry Rice in 1985. Samuel’s s 961 scrimmage yards ranked 27th among all wideouts, and he was second to the Titans AJ Brown among rookies.
11. Sterling Shephard
After signing a new deal with the Giants, Shepard appeared in 10 games during the 2019 NFL season, accounting for 57 catches for 576 yards and 3 total touchdowns during an injury-plagued season.
In Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Shepard caught seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown as the Giants won 32-31. After dealing with injuries, Shepard resurfaced in week 15 against the Miami Dolphins, catching a season-high nine passes for 111 yards in the 36–20 win.
10. Terry McLaurin
Pro Football Focus named McLaurin as one of its top 25 players starting the 2020 season under 25 years old.
McLaurin made a name as a rookie early after a breakout game in last year’s season opener against the Eagles.
“McLaurin’s yard per route run (YPRR) average in 2019 is one of the best ever recorded by a rookie wideout in the PFF era (2006-19).
McLaurin had one of the best rookie campaigns for a receiver in Redskins franchise history, accounting for 58 receptions for 919 yards and seven touchdowns. McLaurin joined Odell Beckham Jr., Keenan Allen, Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Doug Baldwin as rookies who received grades of at least 80 on 250 or more routes in the past decade.
9. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers
After losing a complementary piece in Antonio Brown, Smith-Schuster’s 2019 season left a lot to be desired from a stats and injury standpoint. The former USC star dealt with injuries but the most jarring setback took place when Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury.
Smtih-Schuster is still one of the most talented wideouts in the NFL and has a 1,400-yard season from 2018 to prove it. His size, speed, and fluidity could give Slay some problems.
8. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams (Co-No.1)
Woods fits Sean McVay’s offensive system, and the shifty wideout has made his presence known. Woods is just one of four wide receivers to have at least 85 receptions and 1,100 receiving yards for each of the past two seasons. He’ll pair with Cooper Kupp for the Rams who like to spread the ball around.
7. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Second-year wideout DK Metcalf is the big name of the group but Tyler Lockett is the glue that makes the outside passing game go. He has developed as a route runner over the past few years, and he’s among the best when targeted with a passer rating when targeted over the past two years of 144.3.
Last season Lockett had 82 catches for 1,057 yards (12.9 per catch) and 8 touchdowns.
6. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (Co-No.1)
One of the quickest route runners in the league, Kupp’s ability to create passing windows or find space in coverage rates among the best in the NFL. Last season the shifty wideout racked up 94 receptions. Kupp was second in the NFL in receiving touchdowns last season with 10.
5. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns
A guy who would’ve normally been top-3 on this list, Odell Beckham Jr. has seemed to hit a mid-career crisis and his play has been madly inconsistent over the past three seasons. Even with the drama, Beckham Jr. has posted over 1,000 yards in each NFL season that he’s played in at least 12 games.
4. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers
A special route-runner, Adams is a five-tool wideout who’ll continue his rivalry with Slay after several matchups in the NFC North.
His touchdown production slipped last season, but he still had 83 catches for 997 yards and five touchdowns.
Some of Adam’s best games as a pro have come against Slay, so the 2020 matchup should be high powered.
3. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys
The Eagles’ trade for Slay was the perfect answer to Cowboys’ giving Amari Cooper a $100 million extension.
Cooper got adjusted in Dallas during the second half of the 2018 season with the Cowboys, and he remained at that level throughout his first full season in Dallas. In 27 games with the Cowboys, Cooper has racked up over 1,900 yards and 15 touchdowns in that timespan.
An elite route runner, his matchup with Slay will likely be a movie.
Cooper has shredded the Eagles during his career, but he’s struggled when matched up with Slay.
2. DeAndre Hopkins
Hopkins was a beast in Houston with shoddy QB play, but those numbers really took off during his time catching passes from Deshaun Watson. Over the past three seasons, Hopkins has racked up 315 receptions for 4,115 yards and 31 touchdowns.
He’ll be an offensive juggernaut paired with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
1. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Thomas has been almost unstoppable over the past couple of seasons and his ability to get open regardless of alignment, while never dropping the ball (3.2% over the past two seasons) makes him the best guy Slay will face.
Thomas set the NFL record for most receptions in a season last year while leading the league in receiving yards, and he’s hauled in 82.5% of his targets over the past two seasons.
