Jalen Hurts May Already Trust One Eagles Receiver More Than Expected

Jalen Hurts is already impressed by new Eagles wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, fostering high expectations for his role this season.

Jalen Hurts doesn’t sound like a quarterback who is merely tolerating a new receiver. He sounds like a guy who has already noticed the edge, the juice and the confidence Dontayvion Wicks has brought to Eagles training camp.

Speaking Wednesday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, Hurts praised the former Packers wideout in a way that made it clear Wicks has been standing out well beyond the usual camp noise.

“He’s got great work ethic. He’s got great hunger,” Hurts said Wednesday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex.

“In the summertime, he was beating down the door, trying to spend that time and just work. He’s twitchy.

He can attack the ball.”

Hurts kept going, and the tone only got more pointed.

“You learn a lot about the guys around you at this time in camp, when it’s humid, it’s sticky, it’s hot,” Hurts said. “You see who’s got that anger to them, who’s got a little bit of rage in them, for the best. He’s got it.

“That’s exciting to see. He runs great routes. It’ll be exciting to see him work this season with the aggression that he has.”

That praise lines up with what’s been showing up on the field. Wicks has been involved in a few chippy moments during camp, but he’s also delivered the kind of plays that turn heads fast. Last week, he hauled in a one-handed, acrobatic catch downfield over two defenders, a grab that got a strong reaction from Hurts.

"I like **** like that." pic.twitter.com/YZM2ISlhX0

  • Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) July 30, 2026

Wicks has become a notable part of the Eagles’ offseason reshaping at receiver after A.J. Brown’s exit. Philadelphia acquired him from Green Bay in April, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Packers.

The Eagles then locked him in with a contract extension worth $12.5 million, keeping him under team control through the 2027 season.

He entered camp projected as the likely WR3 after the Eagles drafted Makai Lemon in the first round, but that picture has shifted with Lemon and DeVonta Smith both sidelined by hamstring injuries. Wicks has taken advantage of the opportunity and made himself one of the most noticeable receivers in camp.

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