Subpar wide receivers isn’t a new thing in Philadelphia. The 2000-2003 Philadelphia Eagles went to the playoffs four straight years but there’s a limit to how far a team can possibly go with James Thrash/Todd Pinkston/Freddie Mitchell catching passes, and we saw that on full display against Tampa Bay and Carolina in the NFC Championship Games.
Over the years, we’ve seen the Eagles trot out Dorial Green-Beckham, late career Riley Cooper, Nelson Agholor, Miles Austin, and Josh Huff. In 2015, someone named Jonathan Krause got 19 snaps. In 2016, Paul Turner managed to steal a couple of starts. And last year, Kamar Aiken played 130 snaps on an offense with Super Bowl aspirations again.
But they all pale in comparison to Mack Hollins, the 2017 fourth-round pick who is absolutely rewriting the Eagles’ record books for futility. Hollins has played in nine games this year, starting three of them. On an offense that has essentially been without DeSean Jackson since Week 1, Hollins is seeing extensive playing time as the No. 3 receiver on a primary passing team.
Hollins has no catches in five consecutive games. He hasn’t been targeted in two straight games. His last catch was a 13-yard catch against Green Bay in Week 4, meaning he’s logged 183 snaps over the last five weeks without registering a single reception. He’s been targeted four total times during that stretch.
Doug Pederson’s continued insistence on trotting out Hollins regularly is not only baffling; it’s absolutely asinine for an offensive-minded head coach who has two effective tight ends. The Eagles entered Week 8 leading the NFL in 12 personnel usage (1 running back, 2 tight ends, 2 wide receivers), which means Dallas Goedert subs in for Hollins and Alshon Jeffery/Nelson Agholor are the wide receivers.
Goedert is a superb blocker, rating by PFF as the best run-blocking tight end in the game, even ahead of George Kittle. And he’s a red zone threat who breaks tackles as well.
Hollins? He’s listed at 6’4”, 221, which puts him in the 95th percentile for size by an NFL wide receiver. The problem is that it stops there. Hollins has run 91 routes without a receiving yard since Week 5. That’s a yard per route run average of 0.00 if you can’t do the math. Here’s a comparison of other wide receivers in the league.
Amari Cooper leads the NFL at 3.03. DeAndre Hopkins is at 1.89. Alshon Jeffery has had his struggles but he’s still at 1.53. Nelson Agholor is last among qualifying wide receivers, and he’s still at 0.89. Carson Wentz doesn’t even look in Hollins’ direction when he drops back to pass, and can you blame him?
The Eagles found a formula for success in each of the last two games, relying on a heavy dosage of Jordan Howard, the right blend of Wentz third down magic, and a beast of an offensive line.
Imagine if they actually had a complementary third wide receiver.
Re-signing Jordan Matthews might work. He’s a savvy veteran who has good chemistry with Wentz from the past. He won’t take the top off any defense but he’s capable of the occasional catch, and from a literal standpoint, that’s more than Hollins can ever give a team. Maybe the team can actually give some snaps to J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the second-round rookie whose body type compares favorably to that of Jeffery. JJAW has really struggled in his limited snaps in 2019, but can he possibly be worth than Hollins?
At this point, the Eagles are 5-4 and on a two-game winning streak that has them heading in the right direction. But if they don’t figure out their No. 3 receiver problem soon, they won’t go anywhere in 2019.
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