The Eagles’ wide receiver room just got more interesting as training camp nears its end.
Howie Roseman and the Eagles traded for Houston Texans receiver John Metchie III on Sunday, adding depth and upside to a position group under the roster cutdown microscope.
The Eagles reportedly beat out the San Francisco 49ers for Metchie, giving Houston a better offer. Philadelphia sent a tight end Harrison Bryant and a fifth-round pick in exchange for Metchie, the 2022 second-round pick out of Alabama, and a sixth-round pick.
This is the second trade Philadelphia has made this month. A couple weeks ago, the Eagles acquired cornerback Jakorian Bennett from the Raiders. Roseman knew they needed more competition in a lackluster CB2 battle between Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson.
Metchie, who’s in the last year of his rookie deal, is a flier worth taking. Metchie has flashed his potential. He has performed well during training camp, according to reports out of Houston. And in 2023 and 2024, he averaged 10.4 yards per catch (40 receptions for 415 yards). Metchie missed the first year of his career while recovering from leukemia.
Metchie, a 6-foot, 195-pound target, was one of the best wideouts in college football during his time with the Crimson Tide. He racked up 2,058 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on 151 catches in 26 games during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Metchie was the No. 2 receiver to DeVonta Smith in 2020. He never played with Jalen Hurts; Metchie arrived in Tuscaloosa shortly after Hurts transferred to Oklahoma. But there’s some familiarity there with Metchie and Smith, which could help the former acclimate quickly.
Metchie enters a receiver room with Smith and A.J. Brown as Hurts’ top targets. Jahan Dotson has made a strong impression during training camp in the final year of his contract. Metchie could push the former Penn State star for the No. 3 receiver job.
But this trade should really be viewed through the lens of how it affects the bottom of the depth chart.
Brown, Smith and Dotson are roster locks. Johnny Wilson, the 6-foot-7 target who served primarily as a blocker as a rookie last year, will likely be on the roster again. That leaves a couple spots, maybe three, up for grabs.
Ainias Smith, the 2024 fifth-round pick, has scored a touchdown in each of the Eagles’ two preseason games. He has also flashed as a punt returner. Darius Cooper, the undrafted rookie out of Tarleton State, has turned heads in camp. Cooper had six catches for 82 yards and a score in the preseason opener and mixed in with the first-team offense during joint practices with the Cleveland Browns. Some viewed him as a roster lock before this trade.
It’ll be interesting to see how the introduction of Metchie affects the standing of Cooper and Ainias Smith. Cooper has played well enough that the Eagles might not be able to cut him and expect that he’ll clear waivers and be available for the practice squad.
Maybe Roseman and Nick Sirianni will keep seven receivers and that will be that. But in all likelihood, the introduction of Metchie means either Cooper or Ainias Smith will be cut.
We’ll see how Metchie fares once he gets settled in — and how his addition affects the wide receiver group on roster cutdown day.
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