The Eagles are trading for former second-round receiver John Metchie III, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon.
According to ESPN, the Eagles are getting Metchie and a 6th-round pick, while the Texans are getting TE Harrison Bryant and a 5th-round pick.
Bryant, who signed with the Eagles in free agency, was facing a numbers crunch and was unlikely to make the 53-man roster. So this is a low-risk, high-reward trade for Howie Roseman. It’s the second trade this summer for Roseman, who previously acquired CB Jakorian Bennett from the Raiders for DT Thomas Booker IV.
The Metchie trade on Sunday was initially reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Metchie, 25, was drafted by the Texans in the second-round (No. 44 overall) of the 2022 draft out of Alabama, where he was teammates with DeVonta Smith.
In Philadelphia, Metchie will join a receiver room that already includes A.J. Brown, Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson, Darius Cooper and Ainias Smith. Those first three are locks to be on the roster and Wilson is probably close. So we’ll see what this move means for the Eagles’ depth at the position with final cuts looming in just over a week.
Metchie (6-0, 195) missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia that July, but he returned to the field in 2023. In 2023, Metchie caught 16 passes for 158 yards and last season he caught 24 passes for 254 yards and 1 touchdown. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Over the past two seasons, Metchie has caught 40 passes for 412 yards with 1 touchdown. If we’re looking at Metchie as a potential depth piece, he has played just 30 special teams snaps in his NFL career. Metchie has played in the slot and as an outside receiver in the league.
Even after losing Tank Dell to a torn ACL, the Texans had a lot of depth at receiver with Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.
“Just showing up, everybody brings their best every day and we all uplift each other,” Metchie said recently, via NFL.com. “On days you’re not feeling it, the guys will uplift you. On days, the guys aren’t feeling well, that’s kind of our culture. We kind of band together.
“You talk about that competition in the room, but everybody likes each other, everybody wants to get better, everybody just kind of helping each other.”
At Alabama, Metchie was an extremely productive receiver. In 2021, he had 96 catches for 1,142 yards with 8 touchdowns. He was second on that team in receiving behind Jameson Williams. Metchie was also second in receiving on the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship team behind just Smith.Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Metchie in the 2022 pre-draft process:
“NFL slot projection with good polish but a lack of noteworthy elements in his game. Metchie has decent size but average play speed. He’s proficient in more sophisticated routes but lacks explosiveness to separate and will have to prove he can become a more physical wideout to win contested catches at the pro level. He can play multiple receiver spots and has the ability to take what the scheme provides him. As long as his recovery from an ACL tear goes smoothly, Metchie has a chance to become a starting slot receiver with a relatively modest ceiling.”
