The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to defend their Super Bowl championship this year. General manager Howie Roseman has shown that he is never satisfied with his roster, and will look to improve it in the best way he can.
The offense is set with Jalen Hurts at quarterback, Saquon Barkley at running back, and their stacked offensive line. Even though the wide receiver depth chart is topped by A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, their depth leaves a lot to be desired. Their third wide receiver on the depth chart is Jahan Dotson, who the team brought in last year.
Even though Dotson is nowhere near the chopping block, the Eagles made a trade on Sunday to improve their depth. The Eagles acquired wide receiver John Metchie from the Houston Texans in exchange for tight end Harrison Bryant. The two teams also swapped Day 3 draft picks to get a deal done.
Full trade:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 17, 2025
🏈Texans receive: TE Harrison Bryant and a 5th-round pick.
🏈Eagles receive: WR John Metchie and a 6th-round pick.
Eagles bring in John Metchie as potential threat to take snaps from Jahan Dotson
Look, it's not a groundbreaking trade by any means. The Texans needed a tight end after they lost Brevin Jordan for the entire 2025 season. So, they called the Eagles, who were willing to deal away Bryant. To do so, it cost Houston Metchie.
Metchie was a top wide receiver prospect in the 2022 class, who shined during his time at Alabama, hauling in 155 passes for 2,081 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years. Oh, and he was a teammate with Smith when the Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Metchie's progress in the NFL was stop-and-go. He missed the entirety of his rookie season in Houston after being diagnosed with leukemia. Metchie played 16 games in 2023 off the bench, recording 16 receptions for 158 yards on 30 targets. Last season, Metchie caught 24-of-37 targets for 254 yards and one touchdown.
Perhaps a change of scenery will work wonders for Metchie. He showed in college not too long ago that he could be a force in an offense. If recent history has shown us anything, Philadelphia can get the most out of players.
As for Dotson, he has been receiving positive reviews thus far in camp, and has earned praise for his route-running. But by bringing in Metchie, the team obviously felt they could have used some more depth besides Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith, and Terrace Marshall. If Dotson is unable to improve with a full-year of studying the playbook, it's entirely possible Metchie could climb up to the No. 3 receiver spot on the depth chart.