Tanner McKee found his main two targets to go to on Thursday night, and each for different reasons.
Returning receiver Johnny Wilson, at a listed 6'6" and 228 pounds, was the one to toss the ball up for. Undrafted rookie Darius Cooper, meanwhile, was the undersized but quick pass-catching threat to find in space.
Both wideouts went off for big nights in the Eagles' 34-27 preseason win over the Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field, caught eyes in the process, and likely strengthened their roster cases, too.
And both did it in different ways.
"They're both professionals for different reasons," McKee, now the clear QB2, said postgame of Wilson and Cooper. "So as quarterback, it's kind of like a point guard. You kind of have to give the ball to the guys to their strengths and help them show what they do best."
For Wilson, it was using his big frame to a better advantage.
The 24-year-old caught three passes for 73 yards on Thursday night, and with each reception, his size advantage over the defensive back on him in coverage made the difference.
Wilson's first catch of the night especially stood out for that, when he leaped over Cincinnati cornerback Josh Newton to come down with a 50-50 ball that McKee lofted up for a 27-yard gain. The play helped lead to an Eagles field goal.
"Those are more like 90-10 balls," McKee said of throwing the ball up for Wilson. "It's nice as a quarterback to be like 'OK, if I'm gonna miss, I'm gonna miss high and let Johnny go climb the ladder.' That's huge, and he took advantage."
"Shoot, it's been a long time since I've been able to make plays like that," Wilson said from his locker postgame. "It felt good."
All while Cooper made his big moments for the first time within an in-game NFL scenario.
An undrafted free agent signing out of Tarleton State, Cooper ended Thursday night with a team-leading six receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown, quickly making the No. 41 noticeable whenever he was out on the field.
The 23-year-old was fast off the line of scrimmage and ran some crisp routes that gained him separation in Cincinnati's coverage, which in turn, created clear openings for McKee to get him the ball.
The QB capitalized on that often, usually for some nice chunks of yardage, and especially late in the first half, when he placed a perfect pass over a defensive back's head and straight into the hands of Cooper in the end zone with only seconds left for a 20-yard score.
"I think he's a really good player," McKee said of Cooper. "Very fast, great hands...He can win 1-on-1 routes, which is huge in the NFL. If they're gonna give you 1-on-1 on the outside, you gotta take advantage of it, and so I think he did a great job of that."
In an early showing that he can stick at the top level, something Cooper always believed going back to his breakout collegiate year in 2022 when he caught for more than 1,000 yards, but many only just saw for the first time on Thursday night.
"I just stayed faithful," Cooper told the media that huddled around him postgame. "Stayed working, and we're here."
Maybe with a shot at actually finding a way onto the Eagles' 53-man roster, though still with a few weeks left until final cuts and plenty left to prove.
Receiver is a tough position to crack on the Eagles, after all, with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson immediately occupying the top of the depth chart, but there is a bit of extra space in that position room.
Wilson has the benefit of already being a year in, along with a build and a skill set that work well for blocking and running snaps on special teams.
He's out to show now, however, that he can use his strength and height to have an impact when the ball is in the air, even if his number won't necessarily be called often once the games count for real.
Thursday night was a good start.
"You want to do the best every play you can," Wilson said. "So if I gotta block, I'm gonna block. Whatever it is, I'm trying to do my job."
With Cooper, he's looking to make his NFL breakthrough first and foremost, and so far, he might just be on track to prevent the Eagles from turning him away by the time training camp closes.
"Just gotta keep stacking days," Cooper said. "Keep building relationships with teammates and coaches and the staff and everybody like that. That's all I gotta worry about."
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