Analysis: Is Jordan Matthews capable of providing boost for Patriots' WR corps?

Over the course of the offseason, we took a deep dive — with some help from the film — on some of New England’s additions, including Danny Shelton, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jason McCourty.

But we realized we never went deep on slot receiver Jordan Matthews. And so, with camp looming and it becoming increasingly evident that Julian Edelman will miss the first four games of the 2018 season, we wanted to take a closer look at Matthews’ game and examine what he might be able to bring to the table as a member of the Patriots.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pounder was an immediate hit when he entered the league as a rookie with Philly in 2014. In Chip Kelly’s spread offense, he was able to rack up impressive totals while working as a slot receiver in Kelly’s go-go scheme. He distinguished himself as a dependable option, and became an asset in a number of areas, including yards after the catch. According to our pal Jimmy Kempski, in 2014, including Matthews, there were 36 wide receivers with at least 65 catches last season. Only two of them had a better yards after the catch average than Matthews, who averaged 6.2 yards after the catch. Overall, getting the ball to him in space as a slot receiver proved to be very productive for the Philly offense — out of the slot on more than 90 percent of his snaps, he had 152 catches, 1,869 yards and 16 touchdowns in his first two seasons in the Eagles.

Then, things turned sour. His biggest issue appeared to be health. He was on the shelf with a variety of maladies (knee, ankle and thumb) and took a shot at the Eagles’ doctors on his way out of town after the 2016 season for what happened. Ultimately, whether or not it was a misdiagnosis in Philadelphia, a change of scheme (or quarterback), or something else entirely, his numbers took a considerable dip last year with the Bills — 25 catches, 282 yards and one touchdowns in seven games with Buffalo. (He did say this past spring he’s back to 100 percent health again.)

Now, he’s in New England. To start the 2018 season, Matthews is one of a handful of possibilities to try and replace some of the production that departed when Danny Amendola left town. (He certainly did his part to acknowledge what Amendola meant to the Patriots the last few seasons.) With Edelman on the sidelines for the first four games of the year, he should also be considered a short-term stopgap to help in the slot as well. (One thought: I have to imagine Bill Belichick and/or Josh McDaniels had a conversation with Kelly regarding how to best maximize Matthews’ skill set. No coach was able to get better production out of him than Kelly.)

We got a brief look at Matthews this spring, and he was one of the first on the field and last off when it came to practices. (While we’re not sure how much this helps with the coaching staff, at the very least, it’s a good look.) One of the things you want to try and take it with a newcomer in the spring practices is whether or not they might look overwhelmed — in the case of a receiver, lining up in a wrong spot, dropping an exceptional number of passes or simply drawing the wrath of the coaches. Matthews certainly passed all of those tests, in addition to showing some early versatility.

So is he the guy who needs a spread offense and a high-volume passing game to succeed in the NFL? Or is he someone who occasionally gets lost in the wash in a more traditional offense? A film study of his work last year reveals a little of both.


First, don't expect him to have the same level of production he had in Philly. The Eagles were running more plays than just about everyone those years, which would have inflated anyone's numbers. Instead, what the Patriots are looking for is a quality route-runner who can offer some depth at the slot position, and some positional flexibility. That would allow them to utilize Matthews in multiple spots as needed.

Matthews is just 26, but smart. He doesn’t necessarily get good separation when it comes to man coverage, but he can take advantage of breakdowns, like one here where the Denver safety misreads the play. A nice ball from Tyrod Taylor leads to a good connection and first down for the Bills.



One thing that really sticks out that’s a positive? He doesn’t give up on plays. I love this sequence, and have to imagine this was something that caught the eye on the Patriots’ coaching staff. Not giving up on a route or a play is a big teaching point for any good receiver, especially in New England. Here, Taylor is flushed out of the pocket and on the run, but watch Matthews, who lines up in the slot to the right — he keeps working to get separation, and eventually comes away with an 11-yard catch.



Another example of him sticking with a play. On this one, he picks up 14 yards on a third and 11. These plays came against the Jets, but they’re the sort of thing that reflect positively on Matthews, especially in the eyes of the New England coaching staff.



Drops have been a consistent issue with him. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s had 23 drops in four years in the NFL. Here are two of them — while it’s probably debatable whether or not the pass from Taylor against the Jets would be classified as a drop by league standards, I’ve had New England receivers tell me if you get your hands on the ball and can’t bring it in, they’ll call it a drop in the film room. (That one was a drop on fourth down, for what it’s worth.)





We know the Patriots ask their receivers to be willing blockers, and while he’s not out there pancaking guys, he certainly appears willing to stick his nose in there and get dirty when needed.



Three more notes on Matthews:

1. There’s no special teams value. That means if he struggles in the offense and the Patriots have to choose between him and another receiver who might be capable of similar production and has special teams’ experience, he might be on the outside looking in.

2. As we mentioned before, he was a guy who showed up early and stayed late this spring. According to teammates, he’s diligent and a positive locker room presence, which certainly falls in line with what we’ve heard about him at his previous stops. He’s cost-effective, and on a one-year deal. And he’s a smart and engaging personality. (He said one of the reasons he was drawn to New England was because he didn't want to feel “comfortable.”) None of these things are going to necessarily make-or-break him and his long-term chances with New England. It’s just to say that it’s all part of the conversation.

3. He’s had to deal with a lot of different quarterbacks in his career. He even made a joke about it this past spring, saying he’s played with quarterbacks of “every nationality.” This is a guy who has had to make a lot of adjustments over the course of a relatively short career. If there’s anyone who might benefit from some stability at the quarterback position, it’s Matthews.

Like most new receivers, Matthews is going to find it a challenge to not only get on the field, but develop a chemistry with the quarterback. If the drops continue to be an issue, Matthews doesn’t yet have the currency in the system to warrant leeway from the coach or Brady. Ultimately, while there’s some uncertainty at the back end of the depth chart — and his fortunes could ultimately be tied to some other receivers — staying healthy and winning a spot in Brady’s circle of trust should be the first priorities for Matthews this summer. And if Belichick and/or McDaniels can get Kelly to spill some of the details on what made Matthews so productive in 2014 and 2015, that probably wouldn’t hurt either.