Making up for Jordan Matthews' loss: Key role for Eagles now up for grabs

There are two parts to the Eagles' problem of replacing Jordan Matthews.

The first is production. The coaching staff seems to be counting on Nelson Agholor to step up, with help from maybe Mack Hollins and Trey Burton, among others, to help maintain Matthews' slot position as a strength in Doug Pederson's offense. Agholor had one of his best practices of training camp Monday, catching nearly everything thrown near him and skirmishing with safety Malcolm Jenkins as they dueled one-on-one.

But the other part might be trickier. Matthews, though only 25, was the wide receiver who had been here the longest. He was the guy who set the example in drills, the spokesman for the group, the leader. Who does that now?

In the days since the Friday trade that took Matthews and a third-round draft pick to Buffalo for corner Ronald Darby, a lot has been said about how much Carson Wentz will miss Matthews, who is one of the quarterback's best friends, and about how the locker room in general is a different place without him. The wide receivers' room is especially different.

"Those are tough decisions that Howie [Roseman] and Doug have to make. But I think some of it's based on the fact that we feel good about that room … We feel like we've got guys in the room to fill that hole," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said Monday.

"Now, Jordan was an inspirational player and a good player, but everyone's going  to have to step up and build. Obviously, it'll start with Nelson … He's got to step up. He has been doing that, but so have the other guys.

"We'll find out who steps up in a leadership role. I think that room is very close. … I think Jordan was definitely a leader in that room, but he wasn't the only leader."

Torrey Smith is a seventh-year veteran, though he's embarking on his first Eagles season. Smith seems ready to pick up the torch when it comes to counseling young receivers and speaking on behalf of the group.

"I've kind of always been that way," Smith said. "We all kind of play our part, you know, and that's to lead by example … play the best that we can play."

Asked what the Eagles are missing without Matthews  — who suffered a sternum injury in his first practice with the Bills and won't play when they visit the Eagles on Thursday  —  Smith said: "You miss a guy who's been here, who knows everyone around here from the coaches to all the players. The biggest loss to me  —  he's a heckuva football player, obviously, one of the best slot receivers in the league  —  but I think that his loss in the locker room [is bigger]. He's a great teammate. He helps challenge everyone in their faith and helps them become better men. I think that impact is probably bigger than anything he's done on the field."

The greatest receiving talent is sixth-year vet Alshon Jeffery, but Jeffery also is entering his first Eagles season. So far he has been a reluctant speaker who seems to practice only when he feels he needs some work; he isn't out there every day grinding, the way Matthews was.

"We all step up to that role, no matter what," Jeffery said. "We've just got to keep rollin'. Me and Torrey, we're the vets, we've just got to teach the young guys … And at the same time, listen to what they've got to say."

Fourth-round rookie Mack Hollins said nobody can just declare himself the new leader of the WRs, one will have to earn the role.

"You see what happens. You see what leaders emerge, and you see who takes that role, because obviously that's a huge role that's now void, without Jordan. We'll see how that goes in the next few weeks," Hollins said. "It's really unfortunate, because Jordan is a great guy. He's helped me so much, has always been working with me, always been a great vet to me."

Marcus Johnson, whose chances of making the roster rose when  Matthews was subtracted , said: "We kind of hold each other accountable. I wouldn't say there's one just dominating voice right now. A lot of guys just speak with their actions. We all see it and we all critique each other."

Agholor has 59 total catches for 648 yards and three touchdowns in two seasons, since being drafted in the first round in 2015. Matthews, a 2014 second-round pick, averaged 75 catches for 891 yards and 6.33 touchdowns in each of his three Eagles seasons.

"I think Nelson'll do fine. He's in the slot right now," Smith said, when asked about Matthews' position. "Nelson has some things you can't teach. His time's now; I think he's ready for it."

Jenkins spoke over the weekend about how he enjoyed doing extra work with Matthews, said he would need to find someone to take Matthews' place. If it's going to be Agholor, the competition might not be quite as friendly.

They tangled three times in a red zone drill Monday. First, Agholor had forever to get free and caught a TD pass that Jenkins dismissed with a wave. The second time, Agholor made a good move, fended off Jenkins, caught the ball and had something to say to the leader of the secondary at the end of the play. That led to the third encounter, when Jenkins went hard at Agholor at the line and kept him from getting to the ball. That encounter was most decidedly not friendly.

[Eagles practice observations: Malcolm Jenkins challenges Nelson Agholor; Ronald Darby impresses; Doug Pederson punishes offense]

"It's camp, just competin'," Smith said. "Nelly likes to talk smack sometimes when he gets a win. Jenkins kind of always goes about everything the same way. It was good competition, and it's going to help us become a better team."

Agholor told reporters that he was "going against a great safety, man; I love to compete vs. him because all he's going to do is make me a better football player."

Jenkins said the chippiness was "just one-on-one. Those drills get pretty lively."

Hollins offered that the Agholor-Jenkins battle was "how competition should always be. You've got to compete like it's your job on the line, because it really is … I think when they start talking, you guys see it as more vicious than what it actually is, but really, it's just competition. They're just jawing back and forth."

Agholor wouldn't say that he thinks the slot role is his now.

"I'm stayin' in my lane, trying to get better every day," he said.