Eagles Bring In Nick Sirianni Favorite Zach Pascal to Bolster WR Room

Pascal will be asked to lead a very young WR room

It wasn’t the splash many were hoping for but it was the obvious choice for an upgrade at receiver for the Eagles.

Philadelphia signed Nick Sirianni favorite Zach Pascal to a one-year deal on Monday.

Excited for my client @ZachPascal6 on agreeing to a 1 year deal to join @Eagles#Eagles 🦅 #FlyEaglesFly

— Sunny Shah (@SunnyTheAgent) March 21, 2022

The Eagles explored acquiring the now-suspended Calvin Ridley and Robert Woods via the trade market and even contemplated giving big money to Christian Kirk and Allen Robinson before turning to Pascal, who will be asked to lead a very young group in the WR room as a player who is well-regarded as a professional.

A former undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion, Pascal, 27, became a favorite of the Eagles’ head coach when the two were together in Indianapolis where Pascal latched on after short stints in Washington and Tennessee.

Over the past four seasons with the Colts which featured a yearly Merry-Go-Round at quarterback, Pascal snared 150 receptions for 1,888 yards and 12 touchdowns, topping out with 44-629-5 during the 2020 season, Sirianni’s last year as offensive coordinator in Indy.

Typically a slot receiver, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Pascal was a somewhat regular topic at Sirianni’s press conferences during his first season as the head coach in Philadelphia as an example of a player who does things the right way and carved out a nice career because of it.

At his introductory press conference after coming out of left field to get the job with the Eagles, Sirianni mentioned Pascal with a handful of other players he coached with the Colts.

"It's been great just to get to know these guys and be in that room and be in the battle with them every single day,” Sirianni noted. “I can't wait to build those same relationships with the players here in Philadelphia."

Sirianni also credited Pascal as the origin of his "Dawg Mentality" mantra.

"Zach Pascal, our receiver in Indianapolis, he had the shirts and passed them out,” Sirianni said. “... When Zach Pascal had that shirt, and we were all like, 'Man, that shirt's cool,' that kind of tied it in together there."

In 2021, Pascal played 906 snaps, 656 in the slot, 210 out wide, and 40 snaps attached while amassing 38 receptions for 384 yards and three TDs, largely from former Eagles QB Carson Wentz.

Over his career, the slot-to-outside numbers are 1,869 inside vs. 1,467 outside for Pascal.

The film wasn't great for Pascal last season, according to PFF, however, which graded the veteran No. 113 of 115 receivers who played enough to be ranked.

On paper, the much-maligned Jalen Reagor was better (No. 105 of 115) and although he didn't play enough, the disappointing J.J. Arcega-Whiteside also graded higher than Pascal at 53.0 to 52.7.

For now, Sirianni's offense shapes up as DeVonta Smith getting most of his work as the Z with Pascal inside and Quez Watkins being a speed X receiver in 11 personnel, although Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen will certainly mix and match at times.

The Eagles also have Reagor, Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward, who recently re-signed on a one-year deal, John Hightower, and Deon Cain on the depth chart.

Philadelphia will likely also explore other avenues for a more significant upgrade as well.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen