Jeremy Maclin hopes to still play during 2018 season
By Matt Conner
Former Chiefs receiver Jeremy Maclin hopes to play for someone in 2018 but he still has to get healthy from a hamstring injury first.
Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has already had opportunities to sign with a team instead of remaining a free agent just days before the regular season begins. However, Adam Schefter noted he is waiting for the right opportunity while simultaneously trying to reach full health.
Maclin has reportedly been working out and preparing to play this coming season, which would be his ninth NFL season overall if he does play. Unfortunately, Maclin has been dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered during his own workouts.
Schefter has the full details here:
Free-agent WR Jeremy Maclin - who had offers to sign before training camp but was waiting for the right opportunity - tweaked his hamstring while training, is still a couple weeks from being 100%, but fully intends to play in 2018, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 5, 2018
Maclin was the primary free agent prize for the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2015 when he signed a five-year deal to re-join his former head coach Andy Reid. After five seasons in Philadelphia, Maclin left the Eagles for his big payday and enjoyed a very good first season in K.C with 1,088 receiving yards on 87 catches and 8 touchdowns.
From there, however, injuries began to plague Maclin and limited his second year with the team to only 12 games. Even in those contests he was clearly still dealing with an injury as he finished with only 44 catches and 536 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. That offseason, John Dorsey surprised everyone by cutting Maclin before training camp, which allowed him to sign with the Baltimore Ravens before the 2017 season.
Last year Maclin came up with numbers even worse than his last year in K.C. He again played in 12 games, but he had only 40 catches on 72 targets for 440 rec. yards and 3 touchdowns.
Maclin is now 30-years-old, so it’s hard to believe there’s much left in the tank when the last two seasons have been so frustrating. But Maclin has proven to be a nice veteran target in the past. He’s a very intelligent receiver who can run the full route tree, so he’s likely telling the truth when word slips that he had opportunities to sign. Those will still be there after he gets healthy for the year, and it will be interesting to see where he lands.