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I mentioned Lemon in the previous post you responded to. But yeah Lemon is pure slot. And Devonte is a pure Z unless they think they can convert him to X. And he's not one of those Washington flier project Z WRs, he's one of the best in the game, so its apples to oranges with the Eagles to Washington on this.
Is the argument really that their draft pedigree is too strong to bring in more competition? That because they're former late-third and fourth-round picks, which isn't high for the typical team for that spot but is high for this one, you have to hand them the job and see what happens?
Or is it that they've shown so many flashes that you simply can't justify adding another proven player ahead of them?
I don't buy either argument.
Look at New England. They have three players who have shown much more as NFL receivers than Lane or McCaffrey, and they still went out and signed Doubs. Why? Because they have a young quarterback and they're trying to stack talent around him.
That's the part I keep coming back to. Rookie quarterback contract.
When you have that advantage, the goal shouldn't be to clear the runway for developmental players. The goal should be to make the roster as difficult as possible to crack. If Lane, McCaffrey, Burks, or anyone else is good enough, they'll earn their snaps anyway.
The best organizations keep adding talent and force everyone to compete.
That's why I've never understood the logic that signing another receiver somehow hurts the development of the guys already here. If they're the answer, they'll prove it. If they're not, you've protected yourself from finding out too late.
Agree. But I think there's a legitimate philosophical debate underneath all of this. That is, what does "maximize a young franchise quarterback" actually mean? Or does it mean nothing and you just build the team as if there is do timeline that's meaningful, its all the same thing, same year, same drill, let things unfold organically.
Also, does it mean doing what teams like the Patriots, Broncos, and Bears have done—aggressively surrounding their young quarterback with weapons and trying to remove as many obstacles as possible? Or is the joke ultimately on those teams because truly elite quarterbacks don't need that level of support and can elevate whatever is around them?
That's really the divide at the heart of a lot of these discussions.
Some people, myself included, believe that when you have a quarterback on a rookie contract, the smart play is to be aggressive. Load up the roster. Add weapons. Make life as easy as possible. Take advantage of the financial flexibility while you have it.
Others believe that if Jayden is truly a franchise quarterback, he'll transcend some of those concerns and we should all enjoy the fruits of all of that and don't be concerned about what he has or doesn't have.
What I'm trying to say is that if people could get past the Ertz fatigue and also get past the early honeymoon phase with Chig, they'd recognize something pretty simple: Zach Ertz was effectively Jayden's No. 2 option in both 2024 and 2025.
So the idea that Chig is now going to be Jayden's second target isn't some groundbreaking development. Jayden has already operated in an offense where the tight end was his second-most trusted receiving option.
And to be clear, I love the Chig signing. He was one of my favorite free-agent targets. But some people are talking about him as if he's already George Kittle. Maybe he develops into that caliber of player. I'd love that. But we're projecting that outcome, not describing something that's already happened.
As Logan likes to point out, Ertz isn't winning with speed anymore, but he's still an elite route runner. There was a reason Jayden leaned on him so heavily on third down and in critical situations. He consistently got open, understood leverage, and was exactly where the quarterback expected him to be.
Chig's profile is different. He's more dynamic with the ball in his hands and offers more run-after-catch potential. But he's not known as an elite route technician. And interestingly, if you look at yards per catch—which already factors in YAC—his production as to YPC over the last two seasons is remarkably similar to Ertz's.
Do I think Chig is likely an upgrade? Yes, I do.
But that's still a projection. It's an educated guess, not an established fact. That's why I push back when people act as though replacing Ertz with Chig automatically solves the WR2 discussion. Chig can be better than Ertz and the team can still need another legitimate receiver. Those ideas aren't contradictory. In fact, both can be true at the same time.
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