Quite a winning streak for the Eagles and GM Howie Rosemann. Coming off a Super Bowl win, you usually expect teams to take a lot of hits in free agency. But the Eagles seem to be getting better.
It's not all good. They lost tight end Trey Burton, for example, and also cornerback Patrick Robinson. Losing Robinson in particular hurts the secondary.
But they've gone from Beau Allen to Haloti Ngata at defensive tackle, and that's an upgrade. They went from Vinny Curry to Michael Bennett at defensive end, another plus for the defense.
And after trading Torrey Smith to Carolina, they've signed former Raven Mike Wallace. It would be kind to call Smith a poor man's Wallace. They'll definitely be better in that spot.
With the exception of a one-year stint in Minnesota, Wallace has produced everywhere he's gone. He had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in Pittsburgh, a couple of solid seasons in Miami (one over 900 yards, one with 10 TDs) and a 1,000-yard season in Baltimore. Last year, among players with at least 50 receptions, he had one of the highest yards-per-catch averages in the league.
| WIDE RECEIVERS, YARDS PER CATCH, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Avg |
| Marvin Jones, Det. | 61 | 1101 | 9 | 18.0 |
| Marquise Goodwin, S.F. | 56 | 962 | 2 | 17.2 |
| T.Y. Hilton, Ind. | 57 | 966 | 4 | 16.9 |
| Brandin Cooks, N.E. | 65 | 1082 | 7 | 16.6 |
| Julio Jones, Atl. | 88 | 1444 | 3 | 16.4 |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 58 | 917 | 7 | 15.8 |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 75 | 1183 | 7 | 15.8 |
| Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 101 | 1533 | 9 | 15.2 |
| Rishard Matthews, Tenn. | 53 | 795 | 4 | 15.0 |
| Robby Anderson, NYJ | 63 | 941 | 7 | 14.9 |
| Ted Ginn, N.O. | 53 | 787 | 4 | 14.8 |
| Kenny Stills, Mia. | 58 | 847 | 6 | 14.6 |
| Mike Wallace, Balt. | 52 | 748 | 4 | 14.4 |
| A.J. Green, Cin. | 75 | 1078 | 8 | 14.4 |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 96 | 1378 | 13 | 14.4 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 71 | 1001 | 5 | 14.1 |
| Adam Thielen, Minn. | 91 | 1276 | 4 | 14.0 |
| Cooper Kupp, LAR | 62 | 869 | 5 | 14.0 |
| Robert Woods, LAR | 56 | 781 | 5 | 13.9 |
| Alshon Jeffery, Phil. | 57 | 789 | 9 | 13.8 |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | 102 | 1393 | 6 | 13.7 |
| DeSean Jackson, T.B. | 50 | 668 | 3 | 13.4 |
| Devin Funchess, Car. | 63 | 840 | 8 | 13.3 |
| Stefon Diggs, Minn. | 64 | 849 | 8 | 13.3 |
| Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 75 | 991 | 8 | 13.2 |
| Marqise Lee, Jac. | 56 | 702 | 3 | 12.5 |
| Jermaine Kearse, NYJ | 65 | 810 | 5 | 12.5 |
| Sterling Shepard, NYG | 59 | 731 | 2 | 12.4 |
| Nelson Agholor, Phil. | 62 | 768 | 8 | 12.4 |
| Dez Bryant, Dall. | 69 | 838 | 6 | 12.1 |
| Martavis Bryant, Pitt. | 50 | 603 | 3 | 12.1 |
| Michael Thomas, N.O. | 104 | 1245 | 5 | 12.0 |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 74 | 885 | 10 | 12.0 |
| Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 66 | 789 | 3 | 12.0 |
| DeVante Parker, Mia. | 57 | 670 | 1 | 11.8 |
| Demaryius Thomas, Den. | 83 | 949 | 5 | 11.4 |
| Golden Tate, Det. | 92 | 1003 | 5 | 10.9 |
| Danny Amendola, N.E. | 61 | 659 | 2 | 10.8 |
| Terrance Williams, Dall. | 53 | 568 | 0 | 10.7 |
| Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 58 | 618 | 8 | 10.7 |
| Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 109 | 1156 | 6 | 10.6 |
| Brandon LaFell, Cin. | 52 | 548 | 3 | 10.5 |
| Mohamed Sanu, Atl. | 67 | 703 | 5 | 10.5 |
| Eric Decker, Tenn. | 54 | 563 | 1 | 10.4 |
| Kendall Wright, Chi. | 59 | 614 | 1 | 10.4 |
| Adam Humphries, T.B. | 61 | 631 | 1 | 10.3 |
| Randall Cobb, G.B. | 66 | 653 | 4 | 9.9 |
| Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 53 | 482 | 6 | 9.1 |
| Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 987 | 9 | 8.8 |
Wallace is 31 years old -- a little past his prime, perhaps, but not terribly old for a wide receiver. No reason to think he can't have another good season in Philadelphia.
--Andy Richardson