The Eagles walked into Week 1 with wide receiver still looking like one of the biggest questions on the roster, and the first game didn’t exactly erase that uncertainty. Philadelphia spent the offseason reshaping the room after trading away franchise wideout A.J.
Brown, then added Dontayvion Wicks, signed Hollywood Brown, and drafted Makai Lemon. DeVonta Smith remains the clear No. 1, but beyond that, the picture is still settling.
That’s why the early confidence check is so revealing. Based on what happened in Week 1, Wicks came out looking like the most encouraging piece of the group.
His debut as a WR2 gave the Eagles exactly what they needed in the passing game, highlighted by a 64-yard grab - the longest of his career - and a 9-yard touchdown on his first catch with the team. Jalen Hurts posted a 135.4 passer rating when throwing to Wicks, and if that kind of production sticks, it changes the way defenses have to treat Smith.
Smith, for his part, looked like a true WR1 again. His best moment came on a 31-yard catch in the second half on third down, a play that helped set up a field goal.
He only saw six targets, which feels light, but he still delivered when the offense needed him. That’s the kind of snap teams expect from a top receiver, especially when defenses start keying on him differently.
Brown’s situation was the strangest of all. He didn’t play Sunday and didn’t have a catch, but the feeling from the game was that he still could have helped.
It was hard to miss that he didn’t get even one offensive snap. The Eagles could use his slot experience to help ease Lemon into the offense, and they could also use another deep threat to take pressure off Smith and Wicks.
With Brown making $5 million this year, the expectation is obvious: he needs to be part of that solution.
Lemon’s debut was more difficult to evaluate, but the usage didn’t do him many favors. The Eagles asked him to work behind the line of scrimmage and try to create from there, and the better move might be to stop leaning on bubble screens and get him involved in the middle of the field.
He missed all summer, so the timing with Hurts still needs work. There’s no reason to turn that into a bigger issue than it is, but the Eagles also can’t afford to dent his confidence by asking too much too soon.
The veterans need to carry more of that load right now.
As for the rest of the receiver group, the Week 1 roster decisions made the picture even clearer. Moore was inactive, and that made sense because the Eagles weren’t going to dress six receivers.
Darius Cooper had a special teams role as a gunner, while Lemon handled the slot. Still, the surprise was Brown logging the same number of offensive snaps as Moore: zero.
If the Eagles are going to lean on 11 personnel more than 60% of the time, they may need Moore active to work the slot, especially if the offense is only going to be on the field for 55 snaps.
Moore could still help this offense if he gets the chance, but with seven receivers in the mix, he is likely to sit again. Cooper, meanwhile, has earned a weekly role on special teams and should keep being active, even if his chances in the passing game are limited with so many receivers on the roster. He had a solid training camp, and there are reasons to keep developing him, but the room is crowded.
Covey is a different case. He is the best punt returner on the Eagles roster, and he was going to be active sooner rather than later. It would be surprising to see him get an offensive snap in Week 2, much alone a target.
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Eagles Rookies Suddenly Carry Two Early Concerns Into Titans Game
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The more immediate concern may be up front, where Landon Dickersons move to injured reserve opens the door for rookie Micah Morris to take on a more important backup role. Philadelphia is weighing its options at left guard, and Morris suddenly looks like the kind of depth piece who could be asked to do more sooner than expected. For an offense built on stability in the trenches, his readiness is now part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]