August 11, 2017

Eagles trade WR Jordan Matthews and 2018 third-round pick to Bills for CB Ronald Darby

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

The Philadelphia Eagles announced on Friday that they traded wide receiver Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick in 2018 to the Buffalo Bills for cornerback Ronald Darby.

Way back in March, we suggested that trading Matthews made sense.

In Matthews' first three seasons playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, he has racked up 225 catches for 2673 yards and 19 touchdowns. Here's where he ranks in NFL history in those three categories for players in their first three seasons in the NFL:

225 catches	2673 yards	19 touchdowns
11th in NFL history	59th in NFL history	T-76th in NFL history

Here's where those numbers rank in Eagles history for players in their first three seasons in the NFL:

225 catches	2673 yards	19 touchdowns
1st in Eagles history	3rd in Eagles history	T-3rd in Eagles history

During those three seasons, Matthews has more than double the number of catches, yards and touchdowns of any receiver who has played for the Eagles during that span.

However, while productive on paper, there were a number of factors working against Matthews' long-term viability with the team, listed here:

Matthews catches a lot of passes, but they often aren't high impact plays.
Matthews is in the final year of his deal, and highly unlikely to receive a contract extension this offseason.
Matthews was not picked by this coaching regime.
The Eagles' wide receiver corps became crowded with the free agent acquisitions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, as well as the addition of Mack Hollins in the draft, the improved play of Nelson Agholor in training camp, and the emergence of some younger players like Marcus Johnson and Greg Ward.

In return, the Eagles received Bills cornerback Ronald Darby. As you might expect for a legitimate starting cornerback, the price wasn't cheap, as the Eagles had to send a third round pick along with Matthews. In reality, Matthews was probably more of the "throw in" than the third round pick.

Darby is entering his third year in the NFL, meaning that the Eagles will control his rights through 2018. He was formerly a second round pick of the Bills in 2015, playing in 29 games (all starts), and is still only 23 years old.

In two seasons, Darby has 121 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 33 pass breakups.

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