August 01, 2018
On August 11 of 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Jordan Matthews and a third-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for Ronald Darby. In Matthews' absence, Nelson Agholor filled the slot receiver role and had a breakout season, catching 62 passes for 768 yards and 8 TDs.
In Buffalo, Matthews battled injuries, in route to a season in which he caught just 25 passes for 282 yards and 1 TD. This offseason, four weeks into free agency, Matthews eventually landed in New England with the Patriots. He was reportedly having a good camp, when he suffered what was considered a serious hamstring injury.
On Wednesday, Matthews was released by the Patriots, according to a report from Jim McBride of the Boston Globe:
According to a league source, the #Patriots have released WR Jordan Matthews. He had suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s practice.
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) August 1, 2018
In Matthews' first three seasons playing for the Eagles, he racked up 225 catches for 2,673 yards and 19 touchdowns, playing in a Chip Kelly offense that skewed stats to some degree. This time last year, here's where he ranked 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 had more than double the number of catches, yards, and touchdowns of any receiver who has played for the Eagles during that span. However, they were often low-impact plays, and the free agent additions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith made Matthews expendable.
That was a trade that has worked out for the Eagles, and a return of Matthews to Philadelphia is almost certainly not going to happen.
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