Part 5 of 10
No. 6 Irving Fryar
In 1996, the Eagles went against current organizational practice by signing seasoned veteran Irving Fryar as a free agent. The wide receiver, who grew up in the Philadelphia area, rewarded the team with a pair of stellar seasons.
Despite being on teams lacking a bona fide NFL starting caliber quarterback, Fryar registered the best overall performances of his career. His first two seasons for the Birds also rank amongst the top individual performances in team history.
In 1996, Fryar helped the team advance to the postseason by grabbing 88 passes totaling 1,195 yards. He also found the end zone 11 times in the regular season.
He followed that up with 86 receptions and 1,316 yards a season later. At the age of 3 with lackluster quarterback play in 1998, his production fell off and the team elected not to re-sign him for the following season.
Fryar was recognized for his superb performances in 1996 and 1997 by his peers as he was elected to his fourth and fifth Pro bowl squads. Perhaps Andy Reid and company would be wise to use this as an example of how selectively signing veteran free agents can pay big dividends.
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