RADIO
With Jeremy Maclin leaving Philadelphia for Kansas City, it was expected that the Eagles would ultimately add another wide receiver to their depth chart either via free agency or the NFL Draft.
The team opted to sign veteran Miles Austin to a one year deal worth $2.3 million that includes incentives. Austin has proven in the past he can be a contributor both in real life and in fantasy football but has fallen off the radar in recent years. The knock on Austin has never really been performance related but rather his inability to stay healthy over the course of a full season.
While in Cleveland last year, some expected Austin to emerge as the leading receiver in the wake of Josh Gordon's suspension. Austin did manage to play 15 games but even then his lack of production could easily be attributed to the mess that was the Browns offense as a whole. Between quarterback troubles and virtually no consistent running game, Austin was pretty much irrelevant along with the rest of the rest of the Cleveland offense.
Last year's Cleveland debacle aside, the signing of Austin in Philly does have some minor intrigue when you consider the circumstances in which the Eagles roster is currently in. For starters, the team is pretty much undergoing a complete overhaul on offense under third year Head Coach Chip Kelly. Throw in the fact that the Philadelphia offense tends to be one of the more high scoring ones in the league and Austin becomes a name that should at least garner some minor attention.
With Maclin gone, the number one receiver gig currently belongs to second year player Jordan Matthews but beyond that, the depth chart seems to be rather wide open. Riley Cooper may start the year as the number two guy, but his 2014 campaign was less than average so it wouldn't be surprising to see Austin challenge for that spot. Ultimately, Austin isn't anything more than a warm body to back up the Eagles starters right now but it's easy to envision a scenario where the team decides to utilize him in a more prominent role.
