Getty Former Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin spent six seasons catching passes in Philadelphia and could be an interesting coaching candidate.
The Eagles may be devoid of talent at wide receiver, but their position coach hasn’t done them any favors. It might be time to move on.
Carson Walch is in his first season coaching the Eagles pass-catchers and it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park. His unit has often been criticized for running poor and inept routes while dropping an exorbitant amount of passes (15, to be exact). Walch was brought over from Chicago in 2018 where he worked with Mike Groh as an offensive quality control coach.
He drew ire and skepticism about his coaching abilities when he gave a curious answer to a question about Mack Hollins’ struggles. It seemed to indicate that the number of receptions wasn’t a deciding factor in how well a receiver was playing.
“I don’t think there’s a direct reason and I know production is a word that’s getting thrown around a lot,” Walch said, via New Jersey Advance Media. “But production as a player, to me, isn’t just how many catches you have in a game. Each guy on our team has a role and right now Mack Hollins has done a very good job at his role.”
Jeremy Maclin Makes for Interesting WR Coach
The common thought is there will be an overhaul of the Eagles’ coaching staff after the season. One of the hottest seats has to be Carson Walch’s throne.
The team ranks 22nd in the league in receiving yards (2,864), with a dismal 10.5 yards per catch. Their top-rated receiver, Alshon Jeffery, ranks 53rd in the NFL with only 43 receptions to his name. Two tight ends — Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert — have more catches for Philadelphia this season.
There will be a slew of replacement candidates thrown out there, in-house coaches like GJ Kinne and Mike Bartrum and Justin Peelle. There has also been the idea of demoting Mike Groh back to his former role of wide receivers coach.
Here is one interesting name to consider: Jeremy Maclin. The former Eagles receiver is currently coaching at his high school alma mater in Missouri. He was hired three months ago at the age of 31.
This season we welcome four new coaches to our @KirkwoodFB staff. Please give a warm #PioneerPride welcome (back) to @JMac___19 Jeremy Maclin!
Andy Reid’s Influence Showing Up Already
Jeremy Maclin was consistently praised by former head coach Andy Reid during stints with the Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. He was always known as a guy with great hands who ran pristine route trees.
His biggest problem had to do with chronic hamstring injuries during an eight-year career that saw him rack up 514 receptions for 6,835 yards and 49 touchdowns.
The Eagles showered him with love earlier this year when they made Maclin honorary captain before the Jets game. He shouted out the fans and organization with a heartfelt letter posted to the team’s official website.
Maclin wrote: Philly was a great place to grow up. It was a great place to become a young man, and it helped me mature. It’s the greatest sports city in all of America. If you want to play sports, why wouldn’t you want to play in the City of Philadelphia?
Maclin was known throughout his career to be a precise route runner and he never dropped a pass. He missed just one catchable pass out of 86 targets in his final year in Philadelphia, per SB Nation.
“Phenomenal route runner,” Reid said of Maclin, via SB Nation. “Obviously he is fast, we know that. But to be fast is one thing. To be able to run a route fast and know how to set a route up is something else. To be able to read the coverage is another thing and that all kind of comes easy to him.”
Maclin Making Huge Impact at Kirkwood High School
The question surrounding Jeremy Maclin’s candidacy will be his lack of professional experience. He just started coaching at the high-school level, a far cry from the rigors and intricacies of the NFL.
But he’s already making a huge impact on Kirkwood High School in Missouri. Three of the school’s receivers each had 10 catches in a single game, including Jeremy’s cousin Jay Maclin. The trio combined for a record-setting 404 receiving yards.
Per the Webster-Kirkwood Times: Three different wide receivers, senior Jay Maclin and juniors William Lee and Jackson Fortner, each caught a school-record 10 passes. His top four speedy receivers, Fortner (48 catches, 761 yards, seven touchdowns), Lee (44 receptions, 706 yards, 11 touchdowns), junior athlete Cole Johnson (35 catches, 441 yards, five touchdowns) and Maclin (30 touches, 480 yards, four touchdowns), have been mainstays in the open field.
Can he coach at the next level? Hey, it might be worth a shot.
Maclin has always been a quick study and a student of the game. Plus, he has long drawn kudos from legendary coaches like Andy Reid and John Harbaugh. Those endorsements may be enough to get his foot in the door.
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