By David F. Cohen
Ever since Jeremy Maclin tested free agency and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, talk radio hosts and their callers are in a twist about this question:
Who’s going to be the Eagles’ No. 1 receiver?
Jordan Matthews wants no part of that talk.
Matthews caught 67 catches for 872 yards and eight touchdowns while playing about two-thirds of the offensive snaps as a slot receiver in his rookie season and the expectation is that the second-round pick will take on an even bigger role in his second season. Matthews said that such growth was in the works before Maclin left the team, though, and that it doesn’t mean he’s going to be elevated above his teammates.
“People ask me about being the No. 1 wide receiver; Forget it. I want us to be a receiving corps. That’s what I want it to be,” Matthews told the Inquirer. “I don’t think one ‘No. 1 wide receiver’ was in the Super Bowl this year, but they’re two Super Bowl-winning teams that have receiving corps that work their butts off, that block in the run game, that catch the ball when they have to. Whatever public perception about what they think we should look like or what they think we need, if we go out there and put a product on the field that wins games, then we can change all perceptions.”
Matthews is likely right about the way things will be drawn up in Philly, where Riley Cooper, Josh Huff, Miles Austin, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek and Darren Sproles all figure to have their moments in the passing game and more additions may come in the draft. Those pieces are likely to mix and match, however, while Matthews is a constant. That might not make him a “No. 1 wide receiver,” but it will make him an integral piece in the team’s offense.
