Hollywood Brown Losing Grip on Roster Spot as New Training Camp Battle Emerges

Two wide receiver battles were the talk of the early portion of Philadelphia Eagles training camp. Both have been settled.

Dontayvion Wicks is going to be the WR2 come Week 1 while Darius Cooper locked up a roster spot as the WR5. Thanks to Cooper becoming the darling of camp, a new wide reciever battle has emerged.

Could Cooper actually become the WR4 come Week 1? Maybe even the WR3?

Let's focus on WR4, as that job is wide open. Cooper has played his way onto the Eagle sroster (again), as it would be shocking if he didn't make the 53-man roster. Elijah Moore has also had a good camp, playing his way towards a roster spot -- even though he's still on the bubble.

Where does that leave Hollywood Brown? Is there a way Brown doesn't make the 53?

This WR4 battle is going to play a significant role in the rest of training camp and the preseason. A battle no one saw coming.

The spot still belongs to Hollywood Brown

Brown is a veteran wide receiver, who the Eagles signed a $5 million deal for this season (fully guaranteed). Essentially, the Eagles have $5 million reasons to give Brown this job.

While $5 million isn't "real" money in NFL circles, the Eagles are going to give Brown every chance to hold off Darius Cooper and Elijah Moore. Brown hasn't had the best start to camp, not being the deep-ball receiver he was in the spring (with shells and shorts on).

Brown still has a dynamic to the Eagles offense with his ability to track down deep passes and the proficiency to generate yards after the catch. The Eagles also aren't relying on Brown to carry the pass game either, which will be the job of DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Dontayvion Wicks.

There are reservations regarding Brown's roster spot, but Brown still should make this team. Pressure is mounting based on how Cooper and Moore are performing in camp.

Darius Cooper is more than WR5

All Cooper has been doing this camp is stack up good practices. He's become one of the most trusted pass catchers for Jalen Hurts, even having close to double-digit receptions on Day 9 of training camp. Monday was Cooper's best practice to date, a showcase of how good he's been ithis summer.

Cooper has been the third-best receiver this summer, and there's a case to be made he's been the second-best wideout in camp (over Dontayvion Wicks). Cooper continues to shine when given the opportunity, and is in serious consideration for the WR4 spot.

There's a bigger role for Cooper on this roster, based on how he's played this summer. He's the most improved player on the roster.

What about Makai Lemon?

Thanks to the emergence of Wicks and Cooper, the Eagles can ease Lemon into the offense whenever he comes back. Lemon has been out for a week with a hamstring injury, and the Eagles don't believe it to be a long-term concern.

Lemon should still be the WR3 by default since he was a first-round pick. This isn't someone the Eagles can redshirt, no matter how well Cooper has played. What does it mean for the Eagles that an undrafted free agent from last season is currently better than their first-round pick from this year?

Writing off Lemon is premature, but there are concerns when he'll figure things out this year -- or if he can figure them out.

Elijah Moore playing his way into the competition

Moore has stacked up some good practices as well, and basically plays the same role as Brown. He's not better at tracking the deep ball like Brown is, but he's a crisp route runner and can makes tough catches.

If the Eagles want the quarterback to get the ball out quickly, Moore is a good fit to get open and make the play. Perhaps Moore just needed a fresh start aftera few tough years.

The biggest competition for Brown's roster spot is Moore, who is only making $1.175 million this year. Moore (26) is also three years younger than Brown (29), so he's someone the Eagles could further develop.

Bottom line -- Moore is making it difficult for the Eagles to cut him.

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