Philadelphia Eagles

Chip Kelly could have bigger plans for WR Miles Austin than most expect

Published Jun. 22, 2015 1:11 p.m. ET

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When the Philadelphia Eagles signed wide receiver Miles Austin this offseason, not much was made of the move. Austin, now 30 years old, has seen a dramatic decline in his production following his breakout 2009 season. Several injuries and one stop in Cleveland later, Austin is now a member of Chip Kelly's newly assembled offensive unit, and he is already making a much greater impression than most people expected him to.

"He's a big target," Kelly said to Eagles reporters during the team's mini-camp last week, per CSN Philly. "He's got really, really good range. Catches the ball extremely well. Intelligent. Kind of knows the subtleties of the exact route running, kind of exactly where to maybe place his elbow to get separation in terms of pushing off the hip and things like that.

"And he's imparted that on the younger guys, which I think has really helped us to have that true veteran route runner in there, and I think he's been really good at doing that."

Austin is playing the role of veteran leader to a young wide receiver corps that features a rookie and two second year players, but that doesn't mean he won't be looking to compete to start. Jordan Matthews is locked in to big playing time, but the rest of the corps has question marks. Josh Huff has struggled with drops during spring practices, and Riley Cooper was Pro Football Focus' worst-rated wide receiver in 2014. Keep an eye on Austin throughout training camp.

(h/t CSN Philly)

Photo Credit: Andrew Weber/USA TODAY Sports