Eagles to add another former first-round pick to offense

Following his Patriots release, DeVante Parker will land on his feet. The former first-round pick is heading to Philadelphia on a one-year deal.

Parker is signing a fully guaranteed contract worth $4.69M, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Due to offset language in his Patriots deal, the Eagles are only picking up $1.2M of this tab. This helps the Patriots regarding dead money, and the Eagles will take a flier on the nine-year veteran to see how he fits alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

The Patriots agreed to terms on an extension with Parker last year, but after another down aerial season in New England, the team changed course. New England dangled Parker in trades recently but found no takers. The Eagles, who were in on Parker when the Dolphins made him available in 2022, will step in with a low-risk signing.

Philly has not been able to rely on a No. 3 wide receiver since assembling its Smith-Brown duo in 2022. Quez Watkins gave way to stopgap Julio Jones, brought in during the 2023 season. The Eagles also signed Olamide Zaccheaus last year. Jones, Watkins and Zaccheaus are out of contract, giving the Birds some work to do to staff this auxiliary job.

At 31, Parker still represents a risky bet — even alongside a potent starting duo. The former Dolphins starter has one 1,000-yard season on his resume, being a perennial trade candidate in Miami, and is coming off a 394-yard showing in his second Patriots slate. That said, Parker averaged 17.4 yards per catch with the 2022 Patriots and finished with 539 yards and three TDs. The Eagles receiving that kind of production would be a boon. If nothing else, Parker could provide a possession target for Jalen Hurts — even if the big-bodied target is not an above-average separator.