Alshon Jeffery is still recovering from shoulder surgery, Mike Wallace is headed to Injured Reserve with a fractured fibula and Mack Hollins is already there with a groin injury.
So the Philadelphia Eagles reached back in time on Wednesday to ensure Carson Wentz will have enough wide receivers to throw to when he returns on Sunday, re-signing a familiar face in Jordan Matthews to replace Wallace.
Matthews was reportedly in town on Tuesday for a workout with the Eagles desperate for receiver depth, and now he's officially back, perhaps in line for significant snaps in Week 3 just over a year after he was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
The Eagles entered the year with Jeffery, Wallace and Hollins atop the depth chart alongside Nelson Agholor, but Jeffery remains "week-to-week" as he recovers from offseason surgery, Wallace went down in Week 2 after limited use as a deep threat and Hollins hit IR shortly after a unusually quiet preseason. Tight end Zach Ertz has remained one of the team's top passing targets, but at WR, the Eagles have been forced to rely on Shelton Gibson and veteran journeyman Kamar Aiken opposite Agholor.
What Matthews may lack in explosiveness, he makes up for in familiarity -- an experience in Doug Pederson's offense that should allow him to play immediately. Like the Eagles' 2017 Nick Foles reunion, Matthews' return may elicit divided opinion because of the former second-rounder's inconsistencies as a one-time No. 1, but he offers the team immediate insurance and had long been lauded as a locker-room favorite.
Matthews began his career with three seasons in Philadelphia, where he never had fewer than 65 catches and 800 yards from 2014-2016, then moved to Buffalo in August 2017 when the Eagles traded him for cornerback Ronald Darby. Injuries limited his Bills career to 10 games and 25 catches, and he had a brief stint with the New England Patriots this offseason before being waived with an injury.
