Coming out of their bye week, the Philadelphia Eagles are expected to be back to full strength at wide receiver after both A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) were out of the lineup with injuries.
The bad news? The Eagles looked absolutely lost at the position without their two stars.
Any NFL offense would struggle without its top two wide receivers, especially players as established as Smith and Brown. But the Eagles' passing game was a shell of itself over the first month of the season, first when Brown injured his hamstring in practice prior to Week 2, and doubly so after Smith was knocked out against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3.
Jahan Dotson was expected to give the team a bump at No. 3 wide receiver, but with five total catches for 25 yards through four games full of opportunity, he’s added next to nothing since Philly acquired him in late August.
Parris Campbell at least caught a touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts in Week 4, but it’s hard to expect much from a veteran who was cut at the end of training camp and signed back to the practice squad.
Johnny Wilson regularly has broadcasters confused as to whether he’s a receiver or tight end, but the rookie has mainly been used as a 6-foot-6, 228-pound blocker on the outside. He has just one catch through four career games as a pro.
Even with Smith and Brown on the mend, the Eagles will need to find a solution to the current sorry state of their wide receiver depth if they’re serious about making a Super Bowl run in 2024. That’s exactly what the Bleacher Report Scouting Department predicts GM Howie Roseman and the Eagles will do prior to the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline.
With the Cleveland Browns (1-4) slumping, and likely to consider wholesale changes if things don’t improve soon, Bleacher Report named superstar wide receiver Amari Cooper as the trade target that could push Philly over the top this season. Here was the site’s take:
The Eagles wide receiver corps is beat up right now with three out of four wideouts on the active roster recently popping up on the injury report, including A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Also, the team has been looking for a third receiver for a while now, and Cooper was recently listed on B/R's NFL Trade Block Big Board column.
'Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper had a breakthrough game in Week 3 (7 catches, 86 yards, 2 TDs), which should boost his trade value ahead of the deadline," B/R's Kristopher Knox Wrote.'And as strange as it might sound, the Browns might need to trade a player like the 30-year-old if they're going to get back in the playoff mix in 2024. Their offensive line has been decimated by injuries and suffered another blow when standout guard Wyatt Teller suffered a knee injury.'
Philadelphia could offer Cleveland Mekhi Becton or Tyler Steen as a bargaining chip to land Cooper.
Eagles fans will get a chance to see Cooper this week when the Browns come to The Linc for Sunday’s Week 6 game. Clearly frustrated by years of poor quarterback play in Cleveland, Cooper would likely welcome the change of scenery with open arms.
Even at 30 years old, he's one of the best boundary receivers in the NFL. He’s a route-running tactician with brilliant hands and footwork along the sideline. An Eagles offense with Hurts at quarterback, Saquon Barkley at running back, Cooper and Brown on the outside, Smith in the slot, and Dallas Goedert at tight end would be an elite fantasy roster, never mind an actual one.
Cooper and the Browns agreed to a contract restructure this offseason, fully guaranteeing his $20 million salary for 2024 while paying out half of the amount up front. With Cooper set to become a free agent, that makes it tougher for the Browns to justify trading their No. 1 wide receiver. But if it does get to that point by Nov. 5, Cooper would be a major bargain for a team willing to give up whatever draft assets the Browns would be coveting.
The Eagles just paid both Smith and Brown at the top of the wide receiver market, and it’s highly unlikely they would go that route with a third player at that position. But considering what the Browns gave up to acquire Cooper in 2022 — a Day 3 draft pick and a swap of sixth rounders — the Amari sweepstakes should continue to heat up, especially if the Eagles send the Browns to a 1-5 record this weekend.
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