Philadelphia Eagles training camp begins at the end of July, so over the next few weeks we'll detail what we need to see from each positional group heading into the 2026 season. We'll continue on today with the wide receivers.

Previous training camp previews

Quarterback | Running back

There's a whole lot to get to with this group, which is undergoing a major transition. First, the depth chart:

• A.J. Brown isn't on the team anymore, in case you missed that. The Eagles traded him. They will see Brown again during joint practices in August in Foxboro, so that'll be fun.

• A huge part of the equation for the Eagles' willingness to trade Brown was that they believe that DeVonta Smith is primed for stardom. Smith has averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per season despite serving as a complementary piece to Brown. He is wired for big moments and big roles, and feels more than ready to become the focal point of the Eagles' passing game. He will almost certainly dominate targets in 2026 as long as he stays healthy.

This won't be the first time that Smith will go from "one of the guys" to "the guy." In college at Alabama, he produced his first three seasons while playing among future first round NFL receivers in Calvin Ridley, Jerry Jeudy, Jaylen Waddle, and Henry Ruggs. But in his senior season, with Ridley, Jeudy, and Ruggs off to the NFL — and Waddle suffering a season-ending injury — Smith had an all-time great season as the unquestioned focal point of the passing attack. He won a Heisman Trophy and led Bama to a National Championship.

As we reported months ago, one Eagles personnel guy pointed to the season that Jaxon Smith-Njigba had with Seattle in 2025 after the Seahawks traded away DK Metcalf, and hypothesized Smith could also have a big jump in production. Another endorsed that comparison when presented with it. The general belief within the organization is that Smith is ready to be the alpha receiver on the team and also one of the best in the NFL. He is wired for that challenge and will embrace the opportunity.

Smith typically worked out on his own, away from the team, during the voluntary portion of spring practices. Perhaps sensing his elevated importance to the team's success in 2026 as well as the need to learn the new offensive scheme under Sean Mannion, Smith was present this year.

Obviously, this will be an important camp for Smith, but the Eagles also have to be smart about his maintenance. They're going to need him to carry the passing offense for 17-plus games, so they won't want to wear him out during the summer.

• Nabbing Makai Lemon at 20th overall was a value pick for the Eagles, albeit in a weak draft. But he was also a little bit of a departure for the way the Eagles draft, in that he doesn't have impressive physical measurables. He is short and light with short arms and small hands. He also isn't a blazer by any stretch, as he ran a 4.50 40 at USC's pro day. 

The Eagles did not draft Lemon to develop his traits over time. They drafted him because they think he's a good football player, right now. He catches everything, he runs good routes, he gets yards after the catch, he's a fierce competitor, and he had a productive college career.

He is going to start for the Eagles this season in the slot. Or perhaps better stated, if he doesn't start, that would be highly alarming since he in no way fits the description of a developmental player.

We did not get a good look at Lemon competing against the the Eagles' elite corners in spring practices, as Lemon was nursing a hamstring injury. He is expected to be good to go for training camp, and the Eagles will hope he shines immediately, since, you know, they kind of need him to.

• The Eagles traded a pair of Day 3 picks for Dontayvion Wicks this offseason. Shortly thereafter, we published a film review of Wicks' game. He does a lot of things well. He runs good routes, and unlike former WR3 Jahan Dotson, he knows how to beat press coverage. He is also pretty clearly a competitive player who is willing to do some of the dirty work stuff. He is a very willing and good blocker.

The downside is that Wicks has had issues with drops throughout his career, which is perhaps at least partly why the Packers were willing to trade him. Wicks will have to prove that he can consistently catch the football this summer.

• The Eagles signed Marquise "Hollywood" Brown this offseason. Like Wicks above, we published a film review of Brown's game.

Brown ran a 4.27 40 time at his pro day in 2019, and is a player known for his speed, however, he has averaged just 11.6 yards per catch over his career. Still, the Eagles view him as a down-the-field threat. 

After watching all of his targets in 2025, I concluded that Brown's average yards per catch were affected by a Chiefs offense that has become increasingly dink and dunk over the last few years, as opposing defenses have sought to keep everything underneath and make them drive the field. Brown made a lot of catches immediately after the snap near the line of scrimmage, which obviously hurt those numbers. It certainly didn't help when the Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes with a torn ACL at the end of their miserable season, and Brown was trying to catch passes from Gardner Minshew, Chris Oladokun, and Shane Buechele.

But Brown did also have seven receptions of 20+ yards and three receptions of 40+ yards. So I don't necessarily believe the Eagles are wrong to view him as a deep threat, despite his unimpressive yards per catch average.

I should note here that I did not watch his targets in prior seasons, so I can't speak on his relatively low yards per target averages with other teams.

It does make sense that offenses tried to get the ball in Brown's hands quickly after the snap. He isn't going to break many tackles, but one thing that showed up consistently on his tape is the ability to make the first guy miss immediately after he makes a catch, even when he doesn't get much separation.

He is also a sideline toe-tap master with reliable hands.

In the past the Eagles have taken fliers on sub-4.3 speed guys like Parris Campbell and John Ross. However, unlike those guys, Brown is a legitimate NFL wide receiver, and his speed really showed up during spring practices. He might be getting slept on a bit, in my opinion.

• It appears that Johnny Wilson and Darius Cooper will be competing for the designated "dirty work" role this summer. Cooper was a camp darling last summer, and he snuck onto the roster after Wilson suffered season-ending knee/ankle injuries.

In the spring, Wilson got a lot of targets in the middle of the field, and seems to be fully healed. He had a better spring than Cooper, who made a boneheaded play in the Eagles' Week 18 loss last season to the Commanders, when he taunted then-Commanders CB Jonathan Jones after making a catch in the red zone.

That'll be sort of an "undercard" a camp battle to watch.

• The Eagles signed Elijah Moore this offseason. Moore was a Jets second-round pick (34th overall) in the 2021 draft, and was a favorite of a whole lot of draftniks. He is in his sixth season, and is now on his fifth NFL team. He previously played for the Jets, Browns, Bills, and Broncos. 

Moore averaged 50 catches for 541 yards and 2 TDs over his first four seasons in the NFL, so he got a lot of playing time. However, he had his worst NFL season in 2025, when he had just nine catches for the Bills in nine games. The Bills waived him, and he signed with the Broncos' practice squad, never appearing in any regular season games in Denver. He did appear briefly in the AFC Championship Game, making one catch for four yards.

Moore was active during the spring. He'll have to have a monster camp to force his way onto the roster. Danny Gray is another former Day 2 pick who had a decent spring.

• We'll talk more about Britain Covey in our special teams preview.

• Samori Toure was a Packers seventh-round pick in 2022. He played two seasons in Green Bay, but has bounced around since, playing for the Bears, Broncos, Saints, and now the Eagles. He did overlap for one training camp in Green Bay with Mannion, but did not make the team. Career stats: 14 catches, 163 yards, TD.

• The Eagles signed a guy out of the UFL, Erik Ezukanma. He was a 2022 Dolphins fourth-round pick. Good size at 6'2, 210, with a big wingspan. He actually has more career rushing attempts (5) than receptions (1).

• Quez Watkins is still here.

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