All things being equal, Howie Roseman sure does seem to have put together quite the wide receiving corps for 2026.
He has his No. 1, his alpha, A.J. Brown, on the outside. He has the most underrated receiver in the NFL, DeVonta Smith, as his No. 2. This offseason, he upgraded the Nos. 3 and 4 receiver spots, moving on from Jahan Dotson by signing Hollywood Brown to a free agent contract and acquiring Dontayvion Wicks from the Green Bay Packers for a 5th-round pick in this year’s draft and a 6th-rounder
next year. He also signed Elijah Moore to a one-year deal.
No one is exactly sure what Sean Mannion’s offense is going to look like in 2026, but if things don’t change, he’ll enter training camp with one of the deepest receiver rooms in the league.
2025 stats:
- A.J. Brown: 78 catches, 1003 yards, 7 TDs
- DeVonta Smith: 77 catches, 1008 yards, 4 TDs
- Hollywood Brown: 49 catches, 587 yards, 5 TDs
- Dontayvion Wicks: 30 catches, 332 yards, 2 TDs
- Elijah Moore: 9 catches, 112 yards, 0 TDs
Brown’s pedigree is well established. While he may have lost a step, he can still stretch the field, as he did with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs repeatedly over the last two seasons.
Wicks is an ideal slot receiver who runs terrific routes but has an issue with drops.
And prior to last year’s unproductive season with the Bills and Broncos, Moore had averaged 50 catches and 540 yards a year over his first four years in the league. The Eagles also have Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson on the roster (for now), and there’s a real chance the Eagles will draft at least one wide receiver early in this month’s draft.
It feels like a lot of mouths to feed for Jalen Hurts, mouths Hurts hasn’t often fed in his five years as the team’s starter. Eagles’ No. 3 receivers are often looked upon like children in the 1950s: seen, but not heard.
Of course, the largest of them would disappear if Brown is traded.
And that’s the big question. What is Brown’s future in Philadelphia? Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported Monday it’s still uncertain whether the Pro Bowl star will be someplace else after June 1.
“I look at it and, based on the conversations I’ve had, it could go either way. That they’re sort of building around A.J. Brown, but also, if they make the trade, they feel good about the guys that will be… not left behind… but will remain as part of the wide receiver depth chart. Howie Roseman, as he’s wont to do, is approaching things to give himself flexibility. You don’t ever want to paint yourself into a corner as a general manager…”
The most likely scenario appears to still be that Roseman will trade Brown. If that happens, Smith becomes the clear No. 1, which he may already be based on the fact he had more receptions and receiving yards than Brown last season. Wicks likely moves to the outside full-time and becomes the team’s No. 2 receiver.
That would be a big jump for Wicks, who started a career-high seven games in 2025 and has never put up more than 39 catches (done twice in 2023 & ‘24) and only crossed 500 yards receiving once (581), in his rookie season. His success rate of 65.2% a season ago was the highest of his three-year career, and he saw his catch percentage jump from a very bad 51.3% in ‘24 to 65.2% last season.
Roseman would then be relying on Brown or Moore to step up as the No. 3 receiver, or hope that whoever is selected in this year’s draft could step in and take on some kind of meaningful role.
Clearly, this all looks a lot better if a motivated Brown is back in Philadelphia. Even if he’s lost a step, he would still be a valuable member of the receiving corps, if everyone buys into Mannion’s offense. But there is also an argument to be made that Mannion’s offense could run smoother without a wide receiver who is demanding the football and is unhappy when he doesn’t get it.
Brown’s frustration with a lack of involvement in the offense has been understandable, to a point. Every great player wants to contribute, and there have been too many times, especially in ‘25, when Brown’s absence from the gameplan was notable. It appeared the Eagles attempted to correct that every few weeks by spamming the ball to Brown, with mixed results. By the end of last season, Brown failed to make an impact when the ball was thrown his way, most notably in the playoff loss to San Francisco.
The uncertainty surrounding this offense makes it difficult to predict what will happen over the next few weeks. On paper, Brown makes the Eagles a better team. But games aren’t won on paper.
Roseman has set up a wide receivers room that, with Brown, might be the best in the NFL. Without him, it may still be pretty good, if Mannion’s gameplans and play calling allow Hurts to more easily spread the ball around and scheme players open.
Either way, it appears the Eagles are ready to weather the 2026 season, with or without, A.J. Brown.
