Eagles Land Curtis

The question weighed here is whether the Eagles come out ahead with Kevin Curtis after allowing Donte’ Stallworth to sign elsewhere.

The Eagles look at both sides of the scale. 

There’s no question about Stallworth’s ability to create matchup problems downfield and the upside he still possesses at his age.  If Stallworth can shake off injury problems, he could be an ascending player over the next few years with his size and playmaking ability.  At the same time, he’s not an overly polished receiver and will drop some balls.  There are a lot of dependability concerns here.   That doesn't play well inside Andy Reid's Regime. 

As for Kevin Curtis, he may not have the size and create matchup problems like Stallworth, but he’s smart and reliable.  Curtis is a very fluid athlete who runs very good routes and can make plays with the ball in his hands.  Curtis will have some trouble against physical defenders in tight coverage, but won’t back down from anybody. 

Curtis emerged as a productive slot receiver the past two years after suffering a broken leg in 2003.  He grades as an adequate to solid number two receiver who can play all three wide receiver spots.  At age 29 this summer, Curtis should have a few solid seasons with the Eagles. 

Curtis will join progressing Reggie Brown in the starting lineup at wide receiver.  Neither is the big, physical receiver teams would like to build their passing game around, but the Eagles spread the ball around to several pass catchers.  Brown and Curtis are both solid athletes who will make plays.  Hank Baskett should see his role grow in the passing game with his size and toughness.  Baskett also has shown the ability to make big plays, which made the Eagles feel more comfortable about letting Stallworth go.  Greg Lewis and Jason Avant offer solid depth at the bottom of the depth chart.  Lewis can make occasional big plays downfield with his speed and Avant has shown he could develop into a dependable target in the intermediate passing game.

Overall, the Eagles should have a productive passing game with several diverse targets to build around over the next few years.  

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