Getty Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles have one of the league’s best wide receiver duos in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and they could potentially add another speedy and sure-handed wideout in Hunter Renfrow.
The current Las Vegas Raiders WR was a rumored trade candidate during the offseason, and two games into the season, he hasn’t developed much of an on-field chemistry with new Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Through two games so far this season, Renfrow has caught just one pass on one target for 23 yards.
Noting Eagles general manager Howie Roseman “would probably ask the Raiders to retain a decent chunk” of the $5.41 million salary remaining on Renfrow’s deal, as has been modus operandi for the Eagles GM in the past, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus noted via X that “adding some receiver depth would be smart, and Renfrow is certainly available.”
Hunter Renfrow Is Less Than 2 Years Removed From Pro Bowl Campaign in 2021
Renfrow, 27, is coming off of down year. He missed a total of seven games last season after dealing with a nagging oblique injury, and he also suffered a concussion. Prior to the 2022 season, he hadn’t missed much time, and was as durable as they come. Renfrow finished with 36 catches, 330 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games (one start) last year, all career lows.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound wideout’s best season came in 2021, his third year in the league, when he caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns, getting named to the Pro Bowl. Before that, Renfrow had consecutive 600-yard receiving seasons in his first two years in the league, so his 2022 campaign feels like an anomaly.
Part of Renfrow’s drop in numbers could be from the growing pains that come with learning a different scheme. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels installed a new offense in his first year with the team in 2022 and it can be argued that Renfrow — particularly after the addition of wide receiver Jakobi Meyers in March — has yet to find his place in it.
Should Eagles Try to Trade for Hunter Renfrow?
Renfrow has a cap hit of just over $13 million this season, and as Spielberger noted, the veteran WR also has over $5.5 of guaranteed money remaining on the $32 million extension he inked with Las Vegas in June of 2022. If Roseman wants to put his WR group over the top, adding a player like Renfrow could do it.
The Eagles have decent depth behind Brown and Smith in Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus and Britain Covey, but putting Renfrow in the mix would give quarterback Jalen Hurts a reliable and sure-handed option.
Watkins had 354 receiving yards and three touchdowns last year, while Zaccheaus had a solid season with the Atlanta Falcons (40 catches, 553 yards, three touchdowns). Covey is primarily being used as a punt returner by the Eagles so far this season, so adding another capable veteran to the group wouldn’t be a bad thing. Plus, if either Smith or Brown were to get injured, the WR room would benefit by having another solid receiver to step in.
Renfrow is an excellent and detailed route-runner and a proven play-maker. A fresh start could do him good, and if the Raiders are taking calls, Roseman might want to make 0ne.
