Eagles
Acquire WR John Metchie III in Trade With Texans
The Philadelphia
Eagles are making another roster move, acquiring wide receiver John Metchie III
from the Houston Texans in a trade finalized on Sunday afternoon, a league
source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
According to ESPN,
the Eagles will receive Metchie and a sixth-round draft pick, while the Texans
will get tight end Harrison Bryant and a fifth-round pick in return.
Bryant, who joined
the Eagles in free agency earlier this year, was caught in a numbers game at
tight end and was unlikely to make the final 53-man roster. The move gives
Philadelphia a low-risk, high-upside addition, continuing general manager Howie Roseman’s trend of making
value trades this summer. Earlier, Roseman landed cornerback Jakorian Bennett
from the Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV.
Metchie, 25, was
originally selected by Houston with the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft
out of Alabama, where he played alongside current Eagles star DeVonta Smith.
Standing 6-foot and weighing 195 pounds, Metchie brings polished route running
and quickness to an already talented Eagles receiving corps.
In Philadelphia,
he’ll join a group headlined by A.J. Brown, Smith, Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson,
Darius Cooper, and Ainias Smith. With roster cuts just over a week away,
Metchie’s arrival adds intrigue to how the Eagles will finalize their depth
chart at wide receiver.
Metchie’s career has already seen significant adversity. He missed his entire rookie season in 2022 after being diagnosed with leukemia but made a full recovery and
Over his first two NFL seasons, John Metchie III has recorded 40 receptions for 412 yards and one touchdown. While his production has been modest, Metchie offers positional versatility, having lined up both in the slot and on the outside. However, he has contributed little on special teams, logging just 30 snaps in that phase of the game throughout his career.
The Texans felt
comfortable moving on from Metchie despite losing Tank Dell to a season-ending
ACL injury, largely because of their depth at wide receiver. Houston’s roster
already featured Christian Kirk, Justin Watson, Jayden Higgins, and Jaylin
Noel, leaving Metchie somewhat expendable.
Metchie has been
vocal about the competitive yet supportive culture he experienced in Houston.
Speaking recently to NFL.com, he said:
"Just showing
up, everybody brings their best every day and we all uplift each other. 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."
Before entering
the NFL, Metchie had a standout career at Alabama, where he proved himself as
one of the most reliable receivers in the SEC. In 2021, he caught 96 passes for
1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, finishing second on the team behind Jameson
Williams. A year earlier, during Alabama’s run to the 2020 College Football
Playoff National Championship, Metchie ranked second in receiving yards behind
only DeVonta Smith.