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By Rowan Fisher-Shotton
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All-Pro wideout A.J. Brown was traded to the New England Patriots in June, and DeVonta Smith is set to take over as the Philadelphia Eagles' WR1.
The next question is who steps in as Jalen Hurts' No. 2 target.
The obvious answer on paper would be Makai Lemon, one of the top wide receivers off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft, with the Eagles trading up into the first round to take him 20th overall.
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Lemon is coming off a Biletnikoff Award-winning season at USC, where he caught 79 passes for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. He entered the draft widely viewed as someone who could contribute immediately, drawing comparisons to four-time Pro Bowler Amon-Ra St. Brown.
After the A.J. Brown trade, hype had been building for Lemon's rookie season in Philadelphia. But in Thursday's practice, it was another receiver who appears to be slowly climbing his way up the depth chart: Dontayvion Wicks.
The Eagles traded for Wicks in April after spending the first three years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, and signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million extension to keep him in Philly through the 2027 season.
Early reports have been promising. Wicks turned heads during the offseason program, earning high praise from players and coaches within the organization. On Thursday, he showed out again, going up and winning a contested, double-covered deep ball from Hurts, with the two reportedly already building a strong rapport.
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Wicks is by no means a finished product. He struggled with drops in 2024, posting the fourth-highest drop rate (11.8%) among receivers with at least 70 targets that season.
But he rebounded in 2025, improving that rate to just 4.3% and finishing the year with 332 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 30 catches. Across three seasons with the Packers, he totaled 1,328 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns, and 108 receptions.
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The Eagles enter 2026 with a strong group of pass catchers led by Smith, Wicks, Lemon, and Hollywood Brown, along with rookie tight end Eli Stowers and veteran Dallas Goedert — all of whom could carve out meaningful roles in the offense.
Week 1 is still a long way off, but Wicks is making a real push to lock down the WR2 job behind Smith. He also has a head start when it comes to chemistry with the offense: new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion also came over from Green Bay, where he served as the Packers' quarterbacks coach — a connection that should help Wicks adapt quickly and become a reliable target early on.
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