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Wide receiver Bryan Edwards is currently a free agent.
The Philadelphia Eagles have arguably one of the best wide receiving groups in the NFL, but with only four wideouts on the team’s 53-man roster, some depth at the position might not be a bad thing.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report took a look at the current batch of available free agents, and he named receiver Bryan Edwards as the best player available for the Eagles.
Led by dynamic duo A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Eagles also have Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus, but Ballentine thinks Edwards would make a great depth addition.
“While the Eagles have elite top-end talent, they’d be in trouble if Brown or Smith went down with an injury,” Ballentine wrote on September 2. “They’d be left without a reliable outside receiver. Bryan Edwards would be a cheap alternative who could bolster that depth. … He likely wouldn’t have a week-to-week role within the Eagles offense, but he’s as good an insurance policy as there is on the market right now.”
Bryan Edwards: Background & Stats
A third-round pick for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020, the 6-foot-3, 212-pound wideout has plenty of size and will likely land somewhere soon. As a rookie, Edwards played in 12 games (three starts), catching 12 passes on 15 targets for 193 yards (17.5 yards per catch) and a touchdown (stats via Pro Football Reference). Edwards had his best statistical season while with the Raiders in 2021. He hauled in 34 receptions on 59 targets for 571 yards (16.8 yards per catch) and three scores.
Prior to the 2022 season, the Raiders traded Edwards and a 2023 seventh-rounder to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2023 fifth-round pick. He didn’t play much in Atlanta, catching three passes on five targets for 15 yards in seven appearances.
He didn’t click on the field with former Falcons QB Marcus Mariota, and was released by the Falcons after the season. He landed with the New Orleans Saints after that but was released as part of the team’s final roster cuts.
Edwards Calls Himself ‘Violent’ Route-Runner
Known for his ability to make contested catches, Edwards has described himself as a very physical wideout. “The top end of my routes are violent, where the breaks are hard, getting in and out of my cuts, getting separation at the top of my breaks,” he told Crescent City Sports in August of 2023. “I want to be one of those guys who are twitchy at the top of the route.”
The Eagles also have wide receivers Joseph Ngata, Britain Covey, Greg Ward and Devon Allen on the practice squad, so they have talent to call up if the injury bug were to bite. Still, it might be worth taking a look at Edwards, whose experience could be valuable as the season wears on.
He didn’t have the best preseason with the Saints (he caught three passes for 37 yards but had two costly penalties in the Saints’ second preseason game against the Chargers), but Eagles WRs coach Aaron Moorehead might be able to get the best out of him. He’s just 24 and appears to have no red flags injury-wise.
“Every time you get an opportunity, you’ve got to prove it. It’s a ‘what have you done for me lately’ league,” Edwards said in August. “You just gotta come in and do your best everyday.”
It’ll be interesting to see where he lands.
Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest. She covers the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Heat for Heavy. She also covers the Bears for Bear Report, a CBS Sports affiliate. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore
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