Philadelphia Eagles: Full Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Wide Receiver

For the second offseason in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles parted ways with their No. 1 wide receiver.

In 2014, DeSean Jackson was released. This past March, Jeremy Maclin bolted as a free agent. Both players were in their primes and coming off career years of at least 80 receptions, 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Jackson (2013)	82	1,332	16.2	9
Maclin (2014)	85	1,318	15.5	10

Despite losing two Pro Bowl wideouts in consecutive seasons, the Eagles are not unprepared. Last year, the Jackson cut was followed by the selections of Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in the second and third rounds of the draft.

Just this past April, the 20th overall selection was spent on Nelson Agholor out of USC. The three are expected to form the nucleus of the Birds' receiving corps for years to come.

The question is just who will play, how much and where?

In addition to Matthews, Huff and Agholor, the Eagles also have veterans Riley Cooper and Miles Austin on the roster, either of whom could serve as complementary threats. There are also a number of first- and second-year players competing for roster spots.

For what it's worth, Matthews doesn't think questions of roles and playing time matter. The club's leading returning receiver believes the pieces are interchangeable, and Philly's offense is going to be dangerous regardless of who's on the field.

"Our offense is so dynamic—you can't put too much weight into who's outside, who's inside, who is a quote, unquote No. 1 or No. 2," Matthews told Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com. "I think that's really irrelevant. When you go out there and see how fast we move around, the different pieces we have … We have a dynamic offense, a lot of weapons."

No doubt, the Eagles will have tons of different packages, and no receiver will line up in the same place all the time.

With that said, while there may not be a conventional depth chart in this situation, some players will inevitably be on the field more often than others. So rather than look at this as "Who's the No. 1 receiver?" on down, we'll try to predict who will see the most action overall and explain why.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

1. Jordan Matthews

According to Pro Football Focus, Matthews lined up in the slot on 92.4 percent of his snaps, and there's no denying he was successful there.

As a rookie, the Vanderbilt product racked up 67 receptions for 872 yards and eight touchdowns.

	%	REC	YDS	AVG
Slot	92.4	64	835	13.1
Outside	7.6	3	37	12.0

For that reason, you would expect Matthews to reprise his role in the slot at least some of the time. However, don't count on him being limited to that role so exclusively in Year 2.

At 6'3", 212 pounds, Matthews has the size to be a force on the outside as well, and let's face it, in the wake of Maclin's departure, he's the most established receiving threat on the team. The Eagles likely need him in an every-down capacity.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

2. Nelson Agholor

The days of bringing rookie wide receivers along slowly seems to be a thing of the past. The Eagles are expected to lean on Agholor in a big way in 2015, to the point where some analysts such as ESPN's Todd McShay (h/t PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Eagles Insider and SportsCenter) believe he's a viable Rookie of the Year candidate.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2012	18	341	18.9	2
2013	56	918	16.4	6
2014	104	1,313	12.6	12

It's not that far-fetched.

Agholor was one of the most productive receivers in the nation last season, finishing seventh in receptions, ninth in receiving yards and tied for seventh in touchdown catches.

And you would expect him to be on the field a bunch because, as head coach Chip Kelly raved after the draft, Agholor can play anywhere—inside, outside, even out of the backfield.

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

3. Josh Huff

The notion that Huff is going to be the third-most productive receiver in Philadelphia may be a surprise to some after a disappointing rookie year.

The Oregon product was responsible for almost as many miscues as receptions in 2014—eight.

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2014	8	98	12.3	0

With that said, Huff was slowed by a shoulder injury in training camp, which turned out to be a setback that limited him all season. When he did get on the field, he flashed explosive potential, returning a kickoff a franchise-record 106 yards and delivering a 44-yard catch-and-run against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.

Huff is a tenacious blocker, too. Expect the second-year wideout to log some serious snaps this season.

4. Miles Austin

	GMS	REC	YDS	TD
2014	12	47	568	2
2013	11	24	244	0
2012	16	66	943	6

This is where it gets difficult. Austin isn't known for his special teams contributions, which means if he's only the fourth receiver on the depth chart, he may not even make the team.

In terms of his production as a receiver, however, he's the only one on the roster who's served as a No. 1 in the NFL.

Austin hasn't been a Pro Bowl-caliber player in years, yet he's still productive when healthy. Last season's production (47 catches, 568 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games) may not seem like much, but when you consider that was with the rudderless Cleveland Browns, those totals aren't bad for a 30-year-old.

He can help Philly's offense.

5. Riley Cooper

	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2013	47	835	10.5	3
2014	55	577	17.8	8

You honestly have to wonder if Cooper would make the roster were it not for his contract. In fact, even though the Eagles would save virtually no money with Cooper's release, he could certainly fail to make the 53-man roster come September.

Cooper's strong 2013 campaign was essentially propped up by three good games, so you can forget about a return to form. The only thing saving his job besides his contract and the ability to win a one-on-one jump ball over a smaller cornerback 40 yards down the field is that he can play special teams.

How much he'll be used on offense if everybody is healthy is hard to tell.

If undrafted free agents such as Rasheed Bailey out of Delaware Valley or Devante Davis from UNLV impress this summer, don't be surprised if the Eagles decide to cut their losses with Cooper.

6. Seyi Ajirotutu

Perhaps the least heralded addition the Eagles made this offseason, Ajirotutu has built a reputation for being a special teams ace during his years with the San Diego Chargers.

He only has 24 career receptions in five NFL seasons, but your fifth or sixth receiver rarely sees the field. Ajirotutu has really strong odds of making the roster, even if he'll seldom be seen on offense.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.