Eagles sign fast guy who hasn’t played football since 2016

Philadelphia is taking a flyer on a dude who can fly.

The Eagles’ search for wide receiver help is over! They’ve finally found an answer at the position by signing Devon Allen.

Well, maybe not.

Allen, who turns 28 in December, hasn’t actually played football since logging four receptions (for 141 yards and one touchdown!) with the Oregon Ducks in 2016.

What’s he been up to since then? Ah, nothing too notable.

You know, just spending time as a track and field athlete, becoming a three-time national champion in the 110 meters hurdles. Oh, and reaching the finals in the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. No big deal.

So, sarcasm aside, kind of an interesting addition for the Birds. It’d be impossible to count on him as a sure-fire contributor but he’s certainly worth a look on the 90-player offseason roster. Why not see what he can do in training camp practices and preseason games?

Allen did once show intriguing football ability. One must go back to the 2014 season but he had 41 receptions for 684 yards (16.7 average) and seven touchdowns that year. He also had one carry that went for 24 yards and eight kick returns that resulted in a 26.1 average.

Justis Mosqueda, whom you may recognize from The SB Nation NFL Show and Acme Packing Company, is a big Ducks fan and had the following to say about this signing to me (unsolicited!):

“This is cool. He was legit good at Oregon. Easily the best UO WR I’ve seen.”

If you’re wondering how Allen caught the Eagles’ eye, he recently worked out at Oregon’s pro day. It was there he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, which is pretty fast. That figure is actually identical to Quez Watkins’ 40-yard time that’s listed in the 91-percentile on Mockdraftable.

In all likelihood, Allen is a long-shot to even make the team this year. It would be impressive if he merely found a way to make the practice squad. Again, though, it’ll be a fun story to monitor this summer.