Getty Former Ravens WR Michael Crabtree is a free agent and the Eagles should avoid signing him.
The Eagles need help at wide receiver. This is no secret and the laundry list of available pass-catchers has been greatly analyzed. Enter Michael Crabtree.
The veteran receiver was unceremoniously released Monday by the Arizona Cardinals and his name started popping up when talking about the Eagles. Carson Wentz is desperate for help (read: anyone who can catch the ball) and Crabtree’s stats aren’t bad. He has recorded 637 catches for 7,499 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns in his 11-year career. Crabtree has first-round talent after being drafted 10th overall in 2009.
On paper, Crabtree makes perfect sense for the Eagles. He surely can’t be as bad as what they have, right? Wrong.
Take the drops away — hard to do, understood — from Mack Hollins and Nelson Agholor and the pair actually have put up solid numbers in consecutive weeks with 269 combined yards. And J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is a raw rookie with untapped potential, too early to judge him. Either way, Crabtree is not the answer.
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Reasons Why Eagles Shouldn’t Sign Crabtree
Stay ready! Don’t worry about the hate/jealousy…Just stay ready!
Crabtree Drops the Ball at Alarming Rate
Want to talk about drops? Crabtree wrote the book. Since being the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Crabtree has 56 dropped passes. His nine dropped passes in 2018 ranked third in the NFL, two behind leader Jarvis Landry and one behind Calvin Ridley. Not a good look. It was a big reason why the Ravens decided to let Crabtree walk. During a Week 5 matchup with Cleveland last year, he watched a perfectly lobbed ball bounce right off his hands in the end zone. The would-be touchdown would have won Baltimore the game. Sound familiar?
Highest drop rate for receivers out of the slot (20+ targets)
Michael Crabtree 25%
Chris Conley 21.7%
Courtland Sutton 21.4%
Ian Thomas 21.1%
Travis Benjamin 18.8%
Devin Funchess 18.2%
Crabtree Not Good Locker Room Fit
It’s not that Crabtree is a bad person or that he gets into legal trouble off the field. There doesn’t appear to be any red flags there. However, there are several reports over the years of the uber-talented receiver being aloof and lazy at times. According to Albert Breer, there was a “perception about his attitude” when Crabtree hit the free-agent market in 2015. That report was followed up with a more damning one from Joe Arrigo which pointed to Crabtree being viewed as “spoiled and lazy” by some of his former Raiders teammates. These are bold — and unconfirmed — allegations. Still, it is odd that a guy who was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft didn’t have people pounding on his door.
Crabtree Has Declined Dramatically Since 2016
Perhaps the biggest factor to avoid Crabtree comes down to numbers. He has only posted two career 1,000-yard seasons despite being billed as a No. 1 receiver coming out of college. More alarming, he can’t really blame poor production on major injuries since Crabtree has played in 143 out of a possible 176 games. The 32-year-old enjoyed a career year in 2016 when he hauled in 89 balls for 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns. He hasn’t sniffed that again. He had 618 yards in 2017 and 602 yards in 2018. This year, Crabtree is stuck on 22 yards — although, to be fair, he was inactive in Week 1. It’s still not good enough.
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