The Philadelphia Eagles were dealt a major blow Saturday before the season even started. Jeremy Maclin, a first round pick a few years ago, tore his ACL. It was a non-contact injury, and according to his teammates he was screaming in pain for several minutes.
Maclin’s fellow wide-out DeSean Jackson had this to say.
“He just came off the line of scrimmage, and his knee buckled a little bit. It’s an unfortunate situation.”
Losing Maclin really hurts as he will be very difficult to replace. The team will have to use the likes of Jason Avant, Arrelious Benn, and Riley Cooper. The team has already confirmed that they plan to replace Maclin from within the system. Benn seems to be the best option to fill in since he has such a big body. He could be a true red-zone threat that the team has lacked in recent years.
As for Jason Avant, and Riley Cooper they could both as well see increased roles next year. Each player is solid, but not anywhere close to the impact player that Maclin was. They will have to step up and have big years for the birds. However, a fair question can be raised from this entire situation. Could the Eagles look to trade for a wide receiver, or sign one via free agency? The answer is probably no since there is not much on the market as of now.
The injury to Maclin is a major disappointment to a team with such high expectations next season. He is coming off of a season where he caught seven touchdowns, and totaled 857 receiving yards. The injury comes at the worst time possible for Maclin as his contract is up at the end of the season. He was looking to go out and perform to earn his next pay-day, but now he must wait. Prayers go out to Maclin as he recovers, but the Eagles are forced to move on, and find the best possible replacement.
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