Eagles receiver’s roster hopes skyrocket after unfortunate injury news

The Philadelphia Eagles’ recent trade for wide receiver John Metchie III is looking more brilliant by the day.

In a shocking twist for Philly’s unsettled WR depth chart, second-year pro Johnny Wilson will miss the 2025 season due to injuries suffered during Tuesday’s training camp practice, per a report by Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It’s a brutal blow for the Eagles, who deployed Wilson regularly as their No. 4 receiver during last year’s stretch run. While the Metchie addition should help mitigate the damage , there’s no replacing Wilson’s 6-foot-7, 237-pound frame that made him a valued run blocker on the edge for Saquon Barkley in 2024.

Thanks to breakout performer Darius Cooper , the Eagles have some depth at the position behind starters A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Jahan Dotson. Cooper can now be viewed as a roster lock, and Wilson’s injury could also flip a fellow 2024 draft pick to the right side of the 53-man bubble.

Eagles WR depth chart should now include Ainias Smith

Initially, Philly’s move for Metchie felt like an ominous sign for Ainias Smith’s chances of making the 53-man roster. The former fifth-round pick just received a lifeline.

With Wilson now headed for injured reserve, Smith slides to No. 6 on the depth chart behind Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dotson, Cooper and Metchie. The Eagles will first need to justify keeping six wide receivers on the roster, but if Smith finishes the preseason strong as punt and kick returner, the justification will be there.

Ainias Smith has shown a ton of progress in his second training camp, especially on special teams. Against the Bengals in the preseason opener, he had a 46-yard punt return and a 20-yard kickoff return. And while he hasn’t yet had a breakout game as wide receiver, he’s Philly's only player with a touchdown reception in each of the team's preseason games,

Smith was already making a push for the 53-man roster before Wilson's injury. We know, after the team utilized injured reserve and the "Philly Flu" to keep him on the roster in 2024, that Roseman and company want to keep their recent No. 152 overall draft pick around.

He'll need to hold off specialist Avery Williams and a pair of big-bodied WRs in Terrace Marshall and Elijah Cooks. But a roster spot is now clearly Smith's to lose enterng what could be a defining preseason finale against the New York Jets on Friday night.