PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts was teammates with new Eagles wide receiver John Metchie III for maybe a week at Alabama. Hurts transferred to Oklahoma in January 2019 for his final year of eligibility. Metchie enrolled as a freshman with the Crimson Tide shortly before Hurts’ exit.
Hurts and Metchie will spend more time together now after the Philadelphia Eagles acquired the former Alabama standout from the Houston Texans over the weekend.
“I told him I was excited to have him,” Hurts said after Wednesday’s practice, Metchie’s second with the team, “and that we could catch up on some missed time.”
Metchie will certainly be playing a bit of catchup after joining defending Super Bowl champions so close to the start of the 2025 season. But the hope is that the 2022 second-round pick, in the final year of his rookie deal, can develop into a target for Hurts.
The Eagles traded for Metchie last Sunday, sending tight end Harrison Bryant and a fifth-round pick to the Texans in exchange for the fourth-year receiver and a sixth-round pick.
Howie Roseman and the Eagles took a flier on Metchie, whose career in Houston didn’t go to plan. Metchie suffered a torn ACL in the 2021 SEC championship game and missed his rookie season while battling leukemia. Metchie flashed at times in 2022 and 2023 but struggled to find his footing behind Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell.
Metchie was on the roster bubble this preseason after Houston signed Christian Kirk and spent two high-end draft picks on Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. But the Eagles see upside with the 2020 national champion.
It was only a few years ago that Metchie was torching SEC defenses. He was Alabama’s No. 2 receiver in 2020, forming a dangerous partnership with Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith. And he was the Crimson Tide’s top option in 2021. Metchie combined for 2,058 yards and 14 touchdowns on 151 receptions over those two seasons.
Alabama Football vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 21, 2019
DeVonta Smith (6) plays air guitar with fellow Alabama wide receiver John Metchie (8) after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the Ole Miss-Alabama game on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Laura Chramer)Laura Chramer
Metchie was picked by the Texans with the No. 44 overall pick in the second round of the 2022 draft. Philadelphia didn’t select a receiver that year. But Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said on Wednesday that he “really liked” Metchie during the pre-draft process.
“Having a bunch of Alabama guys on the roster, talking to those guys as you’d see an Alabama game, when he came out of college he made a lot of plays there. I was always a fan of his game,” Sirianni said. “He’s quick. Very quick. What really stood out to me is how tough he is, how he blocks, how he finishes with the ball on the sidelines.”
Sirianni said Metchie’s toughness reminds him of Smith. noting that “you can tell they got coached by the same guys” at Alabama.
That mentality — and his relationship with Smith — should serve Metchie well as he integrates into the offense. It also helps that the Eagles have experience in welcoming a new receiver late in training camp.
Jahan Dotson was acquired from the Washington Commanders days before the 2024 season. And while it took time for the former Penn State star to acclimate himself, Dotson made plays down the stretch last year and is now positioned for a bigger role in 2025.
With that in mind, expectations around Metchie should be tempered a bit. He’s new to the system and is looking up at A.J. Brown, Smith and Dotson on the depth chart, not to mention the significant role tight end Dallas Goedert has in the passing game.
But Sirianni is “excited about the things” Metchie can add to the Eagles this year. So is Hurts.
“He’s got a lot of talent. He’s got a lot of ability. And he’s played a lot of ball at the highest level,” Hurts said. “As we get started, it’s about embracing that role and whatever that role is. That may change. That may evolve. But build that chemistry throughout and have a next man up mentality with it.”
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