The Facts:
It seemed somewhat odd Monday to see Maclin at Eagles practice among the candidates catching punts. Not only had the past coaching regime completely phased him out of the return game, but the organization has stacked up plenty of specialists over the past two years and new HC Chip Kelly has already endorsed DeSean Jackson to become more involved again on punt returns. “Yeah, we'll look at Mac back there,” Kelly said, sticking to his clean-slate approach.
Reported by CSNPhilly.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
As CSNPhilly.com's Greg Mosher notes, five years ago, nobody would have thought twice about Maclin practicing on punt return. Five years ago, Maclin had entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the Eagles, a dynamic receiver out of the University of Missouri who made All-America twice and was one of the college game’s best multi-dimensional threats. Of his 33 career college touchdowns, he scored three on punt returns and two more on kickoffs. But his smooth return moves never translated to the professional level. In his first four seasons, Maclin had a grand total of 76 punt return yards, 149 kick return yards and no touchdowns. Last year, he didn’t return a punt or kick for the first time in his career. His last return came Nov. 13, 2011, against the Cardinals, a game Jackson missed while serving a team suspension. Maclin returned two punts for 17 yards. ... Worth noting, Maclin didn't lobby to practice on punt return. He just happened to hear his name called. “That’s something they knew I did in college,” he said. “Like I said, I’m willing to do whatever.”
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