By Annie Ross
It’s no secret that Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor had a disappointing rookie season in 2015.
The Eagles had an NFL-worst drop rate of six percent in 2015, per Sporting Charts, and Agholor is doing what he can to help his fellow pass-catchers help whoever will play quarterback this season.
“Nelson (Agholor) took some of that first-round pay check, and he bought a JUGS machine,” fellow Philly receiver Jordan Matthews told NJ.com after Tuesday’s practice. “He’s invited the guys over to his house to work on it, make catches on it and do whatever they want to do.”
That’s a hefty cost for a second-year player — JUGS lists its Football Passing Machine for $2,600 — but nobody can blame a person for an investment to improve the attribute most important to his or her career.
Matthews didn’t specify which or how many teammates accepted Agholor’s invite.
Running back DeMarco Murray, now with the Titans, actually dropped the most passes with the Eagles last season, with six. Matthews led the Birds’ wide receivers with five drops. Agholor dropped just four but had a Philly wideout-worst drop rate of 9.1 percent.
Beyond Agholor’s presumed improvement in catching ability, Matthews expects health to launch the 23-year-old into prominence. Agholor missed a few games last season with an ankle injury that lingered, and a hip bothered him late in the year.
“I don’t think people can overestimate how much an injury can really affect you … not just physically, but also mentally,” Matthews said. “He’s not a big guy. He’s a guy who uses his speed. He’s got bounce to him in his routes. When you take that away, especially in your first year in the NFL, it can make it a little more difficult for you. Now that he’s healthy — I’m praying he stays that way — I feel like he’s going to have a huge impact for us.”
