One Position Battle Suddenly Heating Up At Eagles Minicamp: A New Player Enters For WR2

The Philadelphia Eagles had to revamp at wide receiver this offseason with the departure of A.J. Brown.

Plenty of moves were made. Dontayvion Wicks was acquired, Makai Lemon was drafted in the first round, and Hollywood Brown and Elijah Moore were signed. This was a deeper group than last season, even though it isn't as talented with the departure of Brown.

Going into minicamp, the depth chart was always going to be in flux after DeVonta Smith. While Smith was the clear WR1, there were plenty of battles going on behind him.

Wicks and Lemon were battling for WR2

After Brown, several receivers were battling for the WR5 and WR6 spots

With minicamp concluded, the WR2 battle may have added another candidate and the WR5 and WR6 spots are as wide open as ever. Time will tell how the final depth chart shakes up and who makes this roster, making the wide receiver battle as intriguing as the new-look offense in training camp.

A new player in the WR2 battle

Lemon didn't get to participate in mandatory minicamp while nursing a hamstring injury, giving Wicks a leg up on the battle of winning that job. Wicks was the slight frontrunner over Lemon entering the spring, but the belief was Lemon would pick up the offense quickly and challenge Wicks for the WR2 job this summer.

That is still a possibility, but there is another player that has emerged into the competition.

Hollywood Brown had a strong mandatory minicamp, showing Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion he can be a deep-ball presence in his offense. Brown flashed his speed in the practices and appeared to have good chemistry with Jalen Hurts.

Is Brown a candidate for the WR2 role? Hard to rule him out with his strong spring.

Wicks still has the edge over Brown and Lemon, as the Eagles are willing to be patient with him. Doesn't hurt Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni -- who has a wide receiver background -- compared Wicks to Keenan Allen this spring.

“I think that's a great addition to that room,” Sirianni said. “Tay Wicks, I think he has a very unique skillset of being able to get in and out of breaks and be really efficient at the line of scrimmage.

"For a guy that I've coached, he has some Keenan Allen to him and to his game.”

When Lemon returns this summer, it will be interesting to see how he stacks up in this battle. Lemon has some catching up to do, but he'll have five weeks to dethrone Wicks for that WR2 role. Starting as the WR3 and sticking in the slot isn't the worst thing either.

Brown has played himself into the mix as well. This should be a fun battle all summer.

Who gets WR5 and WR6?

The Eagles are likely to keep six wide receivers, but this battle is as wide open as it can get.

Elijah Moore got first team reps with Smith and Lemon absent. Where he stands in the battle is uncertain, but the Eagles obviously want to give their free agent addition a look.

Johnny Wilson has outplayed Darius Cooper to this point, as Wilson is coming off knee and ankle surgery from last training camp. Wilson wasn't a roster lock prior to the surgery, but he had teh inside track towards a roster spot in 2025. Wilson plays the role as a receiver that does the "dirty work," crucial in this offense.

Moore, Cooper, and Wilson are essentially battling for two spots. Britain Covey was out for minicamp, but he'll be in the mix because of his ability to return punts -- and Covey is a good punt returner.

James Proche II was at the Jefferson Health Training Complex on a tryout. If Proche signs with the Eagles, he'll factor into the battle.

Danny Gray, Quez Watkins, and Samori Toure are also on the roster -- but the battle for two spots is between Moore, Cooper, Wilson, and Covey.

The wide receiver position is questionable, albeit deeper. This all will play itself out come August.

Add us as a preferred source on Google