The Eagles made a rare preseason trade after their second preseason game.
Philadelphia sent tight end Harrison Bryant to the Texans in exchange for wide receiver John Metchie III, per Jordan Schultz. Reports also say that they will exchange day three draft picks. In fact, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the picks exchanged were from a deal earlier in the offseason that saw CJ Gardner-Johnson heading to the Texans.
Full trade:#Texans get:
TE Harrison Bryant
2026 5th-round pick (originally their own)#Eagles get:
WR John Metchie III
2026 6th-round pick (originally their own) https://t.co/zQRPV6mL5F— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 17, 2025
The deal also sees Metchie reunite with a college teammate. He went to Alabama with wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Despite his new quarterback, Jalen Hurts, spending some time with the Crimson Tide before transferring to Oklahoma, he and Metchie never crossed paths until now. The Eagles and Texans played in 2022, and Smith talked about how much his former teammate’s jersey meant to him, so this reunion is special for him too.
“Out of all the jerseys I have, his probably meant the most to me.”
— Devonta Smith about John Metchie following the Eagles/Texans game in 2022
A true brotherhood gets reunited 🫂 pic.twitter.com/ZarUoiEiGl
— Philadelphia Eagles Central (@pheaglescentral) August 17, 2025
Here is what the Eagles wide receiver room looks like with the addition of Metchie.
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John Metchie III trade details
Eagles get:
- WR John Metchie III
- 2026 6th round pick
Texans get:
- TE Harrison Bryant
- 2026 5th round pick
Houston lost a tight end for the season as Brevin Jordan tore his ACL earlier this preseason. Bryant fills a depth need behind Dalton Schultz and could compete for the TE2 spot along with Cade Stover and Irv Smith Jr.
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Eagles WR depth chart
| Position | Player |
| 1 | AJ Brown |
| 2 | DeVonta Smith |
| 3 | Jahan Dotson |
| 4 | Johnny Wilson |
| 5 | John Metchie III |
| 6 | Terrace Marshall Jr. |
| 7 | Ainias Smith |
| 8 | Darius Cooper |
Brown and Smith need no introduction and are sitting comfortably at the top of the wide receiver depth chart. The question for the Eagles’ offense is who will be the next wide receiver to step up. It is a role that Jahan Dotson currently holds, but anyone on the rest of the depth chart could be called upon to step into the WR3 or even WR4 role.
Dotson is in the last year of his contract. He was acquired by the Eagles last season and went on to have 19 receptions for 216 yards with no touchdowns in 17 games. Dotson had the highest draft capital coming out of college as a former first-round pick, but it hasn’t translated on the field.
Wilson receives a lot of hype due to his size. The 6-6 Florida State product could be a great redzone threat or someone who can come in for short yardage situations to use his size to come down with contested catches. Also getting a lot of attention this preseason have been Smith and Cooper.
The Eagles will have some roster decisions to make before they have to trim down to 53 players and a practice squad for the regular season. It feels like Marshall Jr. is likely to be an odd man out, but Metchie will have two weeks to try to not only make the roster but start the team’s first game of the season against the Cowboys in Week 1.
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John Metchie III contract
Metchie was drafted with the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Since second-round picks don’t come with a fifth-year option, and he hasn’t been given an extension, the wideout is in the final year of his rookie deal.
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How John Metchie III beat cancer
Metchie was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in July 2022, just two months after getting drafted. He delayed the start of his rookie season and immediately began treatment. The wide receiver credited his faith and his family for helping him to overcome his cancer.
He was cleared to return to training camp in the summer of 2023, and has been active in the NFL in the two seasons since.
