PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - Emergency pod: Eagles trade for Texans WR John Metchie

Episode Date: August 17, 2025

#NoDaysOff for Howie Roseman, who swung a deal Sunday for DeVonta Smith's former Alabama teammate John Metchie III, the 25-year-old who was a 2nd-round pick in 2022. The compensation is minimal, though the Eagles sent out tight end Harrison Bryant. Bo Wulf and Brandon Lee Gowton react to the Eagles addition to the WR corps. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

and welcome to an emergency podcast, the P.HLY Eagles podcast live from the Xfinity Mobile Studios and presented by Dudat Dental and True Mark Financial Credit Union, Bo Wolf, and joined by the king himself, the king of Switzerland, Randon Lee Gowden of Bleeding Green Nation, and we are here, BLG, to talk about a surprise Sunday trade by Howie Roseman, the Eagles acquiring another former first or second round pick, hitting that kink that Howie has this time. It's John Metchie the third, Devante Smith's former teammate at Alabama, adding to the wide receiver group, how you doing? Thank you for joining

us today. Glad to be here with you, Bo. I think the big question on everyone's mind is, is this the new Ryan Bates for Eli Harold disaster that Howie Roseman made in the past? I think Eagles fans hope not. You know how to make me smile, because that

is a very good question. The full terms here, the Eagles sending Harrison Bryant and oh my gosh, What a kick to the gonads here for the audience of PHLY, because we are two days away from what I have on my calendar marked as Harrison Bryant Day. I don't remember why that is. Someone will have to remind me, but we are two days away.

What if it had been on Harrison Bryant Day? But the Eagles sending away Harrison Bryant and a fifth round pick to the Texans for John Mechie and a sixth round pick. And BLG are telling me that this is just both teams recovering their picks from the CJ Gardner-Johnson Kenyon Green deal. Yeah, absolutely. So originally, right, the Eagles send CJ Garder Johnson and their sixth round, 2026 pick to the Texans in exchange for Kenyon Green

and the Texans' 2026 fifth round pick. And now we're just reversing that. So it ends up basically being that the Eagles send out CJGJ and Harrison Bryant in return. They get Kenyon Green and John Metchie. So what a blockbuster of a deal right there. Huge. Absolutely huge. So if you are unfamiliar with John Mechie, second round pick out of Alabama in 2022, missed his entire rookie season battling leukemia and came out through to the other side, has played in the NFL the last two years with the Texans. And the numbers for a second round pick are a little bit uninspiring. 2023, 16 catches for 158 yards. Last year, 24 catches for 254 yards, 10.6 yards per reception.

If you look at the advanced numbers in yards per route run, he was 91st out of 119 last year. At 1.05 yards per route run, spent most of his time in the slot about 55% of the time. So here's my question to you, BLJ. of all of the Eagles wide receivers that we have right now, who does this trade tell you the most about? Is it, is it AJ Brown? Maybe they're a little bit worried about what injury he's dealing with. Is it Devante Smith?

They just love Devante Smith so much they want to get him one of his buddies. Is it Jahan Dotson? This is a competition for Jahan Dotson. Maybe they like Metchy more in the slot. Or is this a shot at take your pick of Johnny Wilson, Anaya Smith, Darius Cooper, maybe even Terrace Marshall. Whose spot do you feel like METCHI is affecting the most here? Yeah, on the Devante Smith point,

I was looking up the Eagles roster currently as seven players who finished their career at Alabama. So add in Jalen Hertz, that's eight. I'm trying, I don't know. I can't think off the top of my head if there other two started at Alabama, didn't finish. But if there are, then there's even more. But there's at least nine players,

if we're including METI in here, who played for Alabama. So that's almost 10% of the Eagles 90-man roster That's pretty funny. So here we go. Or it is not 10%. I'm not great with math. So don't make me do that.

Anyway, to answer your question, they barely gave up anything to get this guy, right? I mean, Harrison Bryant, I don't think anyone had him on their 53-man roster. He wasn't making the team. By the way, Kenan Green might not make the team. So really, both of the pieces in this deal or multiple players in this deal.

It is a surprising trade, right? Like, I don't think anyone was like, they need more receiver depth. We've seen my guy, as you thank you for giving me credit for Darius Cooper um I would hope you we have right now combined the two biggest Darius Cooper fans I believe that's right yeah um

I would hope you make the team because I don't think you want to give up on that or expose that guy to waivers I would not take that chance I'm maybe it's a nice myth from a standpoint of I know he's had the touchdowns in the preseason games I don't think he's really been that great on offense specifically in practice he's been like a must keep kind of player

I don't think the upside of Anis Smith has been anything exciting at any point that we've seen. And you look at Metchy and he kind of profiles more as like that slot kind of player. And this is, it's funny. They acquired him too because this is a guy that I think a lot of people are talking about last off season before they made the Dotson trade that that would kind of, you know, be interested in as that third receiver. And they get them now instead and it's a little curious. I agree with you. What I wonder now is, you know, we're coming off of the preseason game yesterday. is it possible that one of those guys got hurt?

Yes. And Johnny Wilson started that game and then didn't really play after the first series or so. And if you think about what we know about John Mechie, part of the selling point of John Mechie is that he's good at the dirty work stuff, right? He is an overachiever and all of that stuff. I'll even read you.

Fran Duffy was kind enough to send along his guiding report from when Metchie was coming out. Here's what he says. He says, does I pull it on? da-ta-da. You know what? I had this already.

This is live podcasting. And the Apple, the text thing is not cooperating. I haven't. I clicked on it. It's just not going. So I'll read from my phone. Two-year starter on the outside for the tide, stepping into the lineup after the Jill and Waddle injury in 2020,

has modest size and physical tools, but he hangs his hat on being tough as nails and outworking defenders from snap to whistle. He's not a burner, but he plays pretty well through contact, and he really improved as a rat runner as a junior. I don't see a high-level starter because he's just okay at the catch point and isn't dynamic with the ball, but I think he has a bright future in the slot. This is a solid possession receiver who can work in the quick and intermediate area

with some downfield work mixed in profiles as a solid number three receiver, with sealing as an average starter, but I see more of a role player when it's all said and done. So, yeah, that is, I don't know, that is on my radar as maybe this is, I don't know, it's total speculation, but if Johnny Wilson were to have gotten hurt yesterday, this is the kind of player who could fill that specific role. Yeah, it did strike me as a little curious. Like, the girls are just like resting. Johnny Wilson's like, all right, he's locked up.

We can't possibly risk injury to Johnny Wilson at this point. So I think that's fair to highlight there. I was wondering if Metschi had returning experience. He like did in my head because I'm like, oh, you know, kind of slot guy. Like those guys typically return the ball at some point. He never really did that in college or the NFL here. I was even looking back at his preseason stats to see that. There's a couple kick returns mixed in there, but not in a big way at all.

So you're not really getting the returner value. I thought that might be like the impede like that since the Eagles don't have like a clear cut partner Turner assuming they don't want to use Cooper de Gene, which I don't think they primarily want to use at this point here. So it's just it's a little curious as all. Well, it's funny because I was thinking I probably feel better about the Eagles wide receiver depth heading into the season that I have in a long time. Yeah. I actually think that, you know, listen, John Dawson has has not produced at the level that you would want. But but as a number three receiver, there's some upside there. Darius Cooper, I think, is really, really a nice flyer and has some upside. Johnny Wilson does what he does and gives you a specific thing. And if you wanted to keep six, it could be a nice myth. Or, you know, if you really like Terrace Marshall, which I think the ship has probably sailed there. But I think that's, I think that this is as good as they have felt about their wide receiver depth beyond the top two in a while. So it does kind of feel like, I don't know, maybe, maybe we're missing something here.

And then that's not even to mention Elijah Cox, who has obviously been hurt since the first preseason game, but like looked really good. Good. And at least maybe you know, that's someone you could have on the practice squad and isn't, you know, so much as an upside guy as much as they're dealing with multiple injuries at that position and maybe they just kind of want some kind of competency there. And maybe you can offer that. So it's just weird. Yeah. Because I don't think anyone is like, oh, they need to add more at wide receiver. I don't think anyone is saying that. One thing I don't know is, and I wasn't able to figure out the answer to this in the few minutes before we started, is whether METCHI's first year counted against his rookie contract. So I don't know if he has team control beyond this season on his rookie contract or if this is the final year of his rookie deal because Donsonsons is expiring. Right. Could be a marginal factor here. But yeah, I mean, the fact is we're talking about a day three pick swap and Harrison Bryant that should tell you the expectations you should have for John Mets here. What will you remember most fondly about the Harrison Bryant era?

Well, I'm going to certainly be really upset that we didn't get to hear the podcast. I mean, that was marked on my calendar. I think the Eagles are probably sabotaging you here. So that's tough for PHO-Y. I mean, imagine if they had just waited two days to make it on that day. That would have been amazing. That would have been, I mean, that was a really good bit by Howie. And really just further confirm that he listens to the podcast.

But I can't really think of a single thing other than he lost out to Kylin Granson in what I'm guessing is the third tight-end battle. Do you think it will be Granson over Jenkins? I do. I know Jenkins, you know, your training camp cuss, you're one and only from last year. That's right. But he also got a little banged up, but I think he came back into the game. Yeah, it's haven't seen a ton out of Jenkins this summer. I think it's fair to point out you guys have talked about.

Maybe he does a little bit some more of the dirty work things that wouldn't be appreciated as much as Kylin Granson's flashed a little bit more as a past catcher specifically. And he kind of, maybe that's a little, you know, you already have some of that with Grant Calcutara. But I do think Granson will be that guy. think it's funny to think back to how um kylan granson and uh hireson brian came to philly probably not thinking dallas goddard was going to be back

and all the sudden the eagles bring him back and it's like well great now where's my role you're absolutely right uh all right i want to look up and see if if gillen hurts ever would have thrown to john mitchie i think maybe mechie was the year after feeling left in 18 yeah mcchie started and 19 so they did they did not overlap uh he was throwing to grand cockatara that year instead we trust them yeah okay i mean that's i think that's i think i think i think we've hit everything we need to hit here philj um last question for you what do you think is like the most impressive thing about cliff um we want to love up cliff here on this show what's your what's your

favorite thing about cliffy too wow you're really trying to are you trying is this is this sabotage. Is this a trick question somehow? I just want to show him love. I feel like he doesn't get the love that he deserves. I want to make sure how he gets it. Oh, yeah, okay. You're doing the recruitment thing here through me. I think Cliff is just really good.

I think he's like the best, one of the best hype man's you could ever ask for. The first time I ever met Cliff in person was that before Philly's game earlier this year. And like within, I don't know, a couple of seconds of meeting him, he's like, getting us shots. Like, awesome. That's great. That's great. I love it. Let's do it.

So, yeah, Cliffs the man. All right. Well, Cliff, anytime you want to, like, tour the PHLY Studios, you let me know, we'll give you some shots. Come on over anytime you want. Open invitation. Just throwing that out there. Okay.

That's all we got. Emergency podcast for you. Brandon Lee Gowden. Tell the people where they can find you, where they can, you know, get their share of BLG. That's right. That's bleeding green nation.com. And then just, you know, I guess if you're on a social media platform, Blue sky's a good one.

You can just search Brandon Lee Gouten, and you should be able to find me there. What a king. Thank you so much, BLG. We'll be back with our regularly scheduled show tomorrow at 2 o'clock. That's it. The Eagles trade for John Mechie.

Let us know what you think about. The trade in the comments. We're here for you on a Sunday. So the least we can ask is to like the video, comment, subscribe to the channel, all that good stuff. We will talk to you tomorrow. Thank you to Ethan for making it happen.

And as always, we love you.