The Philadelphia Eagles were one of the best offensive teams in the NFL last season and after getting rid of DeSean Jackson this offseason, Chip Kelly may look to the draft for his replacement and names like Brandin Cooks, Kelvin Benjamin, Marqise Lee or Mike Evans could be in the mix for the team with a trade or at the number 22 overall pick in the first round.
The wide receiver position is deep this season and that is one reason why the Eagles may have been motivated to get rid of Jackson along with their other entire myriad of reasons. Kelly feels that his production can be made up with wideouts Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin along with newly acquired Darren Sproles and the draft may be the final part of that equation. According to ESPN.com, Cooks spoke with reporters ahead of the draft and he said he would love to play for Kelly, who coached at Oregon while Cooks was at Oregon State.
While it's no guarantee, Kelly could look at Lee or Cooks as options after they played in the Pac-12 where he was at Oregon and while the number 22 pick might be too late for someone like Cooks, the team should be able to add at least once receiver in the draft in 2014. Losing Jackson hurts in the short term and he leaves after making 82 catches for over 1,300 yards and nine touchdowns to set career highs and now Cooks could be the player that replaces him. Last season Cooks had an insane year with the Beavers and while his numbers may be inflated because they pass so much, the production speaks for itself after he made 128 receptions for over 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns and he also had 1,947 yards from scrimmage and another two touchdowns rushing the ball. That type of production on offense is right up Kelly's alley and with his speed, Cooks could be the perfect replacement for Jackson.
At 5-foot-10, 189-pounds, Cooks could be a nice stand-in for Jackson and after DeSean was set to make $10.5 million last season, he would be a markedly cheaper option as well. The Eagles were the top offensive team last season and they ranked first in the league in rushing yards per game and ninth in passing yards and while they could go with offense on their first round pick, cornerback could be in the mix as well, as the team ranked last in the league last season with nearly 300 yards per game allowed to rank 32nd in the NFL.
Jackson has signed with the Washington Redskins and now that means he will get the chance to play against the Eagles twice per season. Replacing Jackson with Cooks could be a huge move for the Eagles and right now they look like the favorites in the division again under Kelly.