The Philadelphia Eagles are getting ready to defend their title this season and there’s a high standard to uphold. With so many teams vying for a trip to the Super Bowl, Saturday’s performance against the Cleveland Browns, where the Eagles managed just 88 total yards of offense, is unacceptable amongst fans and apparently the front office.
Howie Roseman struck quickly after Saturday’s disappointing performance and the Eagles welcomed a new wide receiver with just over two weeks until the Sept. 4 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.
BREAKING: The #Texans are trading WR John Metchie III to the #Eagles, per multiple sources. pic.twitter.com/CUHVzPnBeU
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 17, 2025
Eagles Acquire WR John Metchie III in Surprising Trade With Texans
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Eagles are acquiring wide receiver John Metchie III from the Houston Texans. The deal, which according to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime will see Philadelphia give up tight end Harrison Bryant and swap Day 3 picks with Houston in next year’s draft, represents the second trade the Eagles have made with Houston to help the offense in 2025 and adds more competition to an underwhelming receiver room.
Metchie was a second-round pick by the Texans in the 2022 draft but he sat out his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Metchie returned ahead of the 2023 season but he never found his footing in Houston with 40 catches for 412 yards and a touchdown over the past two years.
With the Texans trading for Christian Kirk and selecting Iowa State receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in April’s draft, the writing was on the wall for Metchie in Houston. This swap also helped the Texans fill their tight end depth, acquiring Bryant after Brevin Jordan was lost for the season.
The Eagles have two elite receivers at the top of the depth chart with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. But there are significant questions behind them. Jahan Dotson has been unimpressive since he was acquired in a trade from the Washington Commanders last August, while second-year receivers Anias Smith and Johnny Wilson haven’t done much to secure their spots on the roster this preseason.
Philadelphia will hope that this trade with Houston will pan out a little better than the last one as Kenyon Green battles for a roster spot toward the end of camp. But the Eagles also hope Metchie fulfills some of his potential and becomes their latest steal off the scrap heap.