After spending last summer as a trade candidate, John Metchie remained in place with the Texans. That will not be the case in 2025, however. 
Houston has agreed to trade the fourth-year receiver to the Eagles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. One season remains on Metchie’s rookie contract. The 25-year-old Canadian was sidelined for the 2022 season while recovering from Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Since then, he has struggled to carve out a role in the Texans’ passing game. Adding further details on the swap, which is now official, Schefter’s colleague DJ Bien-Aime notes tight end Harrison Bryant is headed the other way.
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the teams will swap future Day 3 picks they previously exchanged. The Texans will get back their sixth-rounder in 2026, while the Eagles will once again have their own fifth-round selection in that year.
Metchie handled a 29% snap share in 2023, and that figure rose to 45% last season. While looking to earn a role amongst Houston’s more established wideouts, the Alabama product recorded 254 yards and one touchdown on 24 catches. Entering a contract year, an uptick in production will be sought out in Philadelphia (although the team’s WR depth will of course make that challenging).
The Super Bowl champions will once again have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith atop the depth chart in 2025. Philadelphia also has Jahan Dotson – acquired via trade almost exactly one year ago – in the fold. Metchie will look to earn a role behind that trio and alongside Terrace Marshall Jr. as well as 2024 draftees Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson. NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports the 49ers also made an offer for Metchie, but the Eagles’ proposal was better.
Houston’s receiver room still includes Nico Collins, but the Pro Bowler will have a much different supporting cast around him compared to 2024. Stefon Diggs departed in free agency, while Tank Dell is not expected to play this season as he recovers from a major knee injury. The Texans swung an intra-divisional trade for Christian Kirk in the spring before adding Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel during the draft. Both Iowa State rookies figure to play a role on offense early and often in their careers.
Bryant played out his rookie contract with the Browns before spending 2024 in Vegas. The 27-year-old signed with the Eagles in March. Before seeing any regular season game action with his new team, however, Bryant finds himself on the move. Like Metchie, he is a pending 2026 free agent. Bryant will now join a Texans TE room which lost Brevin Jordan for the season recently. He will look to step in as a backup to Dalton Schultz.
The Texans and Eagles worked out a trade earlier this offseason, with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and guard Kenyon Green being swapped. The teams have repeated a player-for-player trade shortly before the deadline for roster cuts. Now, both Metchie and Bryant will spend the coming weeks acclimating to their new teams while looking to help their market values for next spring.
Whoa this was so random lmao
Not really, kid has talent, but could never carve a spot in a crowded room with limited reps. Even with dells injury. Perfect change of scenery candidate tbh
I’ll cut him slack dude missed his rookie year battling cancer and now he’s buried on a loaded depth chart. Hope eagles make a way for him
Loaded depth chart? There is far less talent in Houston….while you could argue that he’s the sixth best WR they have now…
Houston has a pretty nice receiver group these days. Obviously it would be better with Dell, but I really like both Iowa State receivers. Philly obviously has a better top two, but Houston’s depth is better to my eye.
Fair, Houston’s depth is good, but it’s not like Philly has a clear path to starts, either. The top two spots are locked up, and Wilson is freshly drafted with unique size. Dotson is a traded-for player, even if he was a disappointment for his original team, and Terrace Marshall could also compete for snaps as a depth player (still think that he could be better than what he has shown so far, but it’s pretty late in the game for him). Houston, for its part, also has a good receiver room. This wasn’t the clearest place that Metchid coukd go to get play time, but the Bryant return helps Houston a lot in light of the Jordan injury.
At the end of the day, Philly is getting a higher end talent than his production thus far has created, but I figure that their top end production will relegate him to being a deep shot or gadget piece. I mean, the speed in college was definitely elite. I don’t think that Metchie is puts up eye popping stats in Philly, but he might have a few clutch plays that could earn him a shot in the future. Bryant should be a valuable player in what figures to be a run heavy Houston offense, even as a receiving tight end.
These were two players that probably weren’t going to see a ton of snaps with their original teams in the next year or two, so this profiles as a “hey, might as well” type of trade to me. Neither team loses much, and may not gain much, but most of what’s available right now probably doesn’t match the potential value of what’s been offered here (even as far as depth goes).
Two highly scouted rookie WRs from Iowa state. Nico Collins. Kirk has had a great camp per reports. Sounds pretty loaded to me
That’s a completely ridiculous statement. Philly has more depth than most teams and certainly than Houston.
Huh?
Wasn’t responding to you there.
Oh
He probably won’t make the birds roster
Howie Roseman is just going to take cheap fliers on other team’s busted early round receivers and hope maybe one day one of them becomes a credible number three receiver.
Johan Dotson is actually really good he just had no time to build much chemistry with Hurts til late in the season. He did well in the playoffs and had his best game in the superbowl. I LOVE John Metchie though, really wanted the Eagles to try and draft him when he was coming out, but we got AJ instead (WAY better deal lol). But I’m so shocked to even see him available. I feel like this guy should have climbed Houston’s depth chart easy. So shocked to see this trade.
I think Dotson is OK, but he was way overdrafted. I’ve never loved Metchie’s game, but hard not to root for him.
Yea let me clarify I think Dotson is a great third receiver. I agree about his draft position. Classic Washington stretch. As for Metchie, it seems like all Alabama receivers seem to end up being pretty damn good so I got faith lol
I’m not even confident Dotson is a good third receiver. As for Metchie, just because the 2019 Alabama team had a bunch of first round wide receivers doesn’t mean everyone who followed them is good.
No, but the never two things Metchie did he did at a high level. He could be a complementary receiver. That said, I’m wary of complementary or developmental players missing their rookie seasons. Having to focus on health or rehab instead of acclimating to the NFL puts incredible pressure on guys whose goodwill (from both the organization and fans) can fade quickly.
Metchie wasn’t as good as Jerry Jeudy, but he did have a similar skill set. Jeudy fought through some bad offense, and had his own struggles, but he’s a legitimate NFL receiver now. Metchie is pretty far behind that, but if Jeudy can get there, I think that Metchie has a chance, with the best circumstances allowable, to become a decent complimentary receiver. Don’t know if it will happen, but there’s a chance. Guys like that usually benefit from a multiple read quarterback and a use-based specialized offensive scheme, though. All due respect to Philly, but I don’t know if Hurts is a better reader of the field than Sttoud, but I do know that Philly has a more proven offensive system overall. I could be wrong (I often am). After all, Philly DOES have possibly the best WR tandem in football ahead of who ever that third guy is going to be.
Even if Metchie only runs four or five routes a game there, he could earn another chance somewhere if he turns those opportunities into successes. I think he’s a bit locked into certain plays, but some really good receivers began that way, too. There’s always a chance that Metchie can become useful…and conversely, there’s the chance that he can’t. Or maybe he comes something in between, like only useful in certain situations. Like Robert Meachum. Who knows-but I see why Roseman would give it a shot.
Ridiculous claim. Dotson was drafted exactly where you’d think he would be in that year.
No he wasn’t. Nobody had Dotson as a Mid-1st. Everyone had him going in the 2nd round, late 1st at the earliest.
Bryant probably wasn’t going to make the Eagles anyway so Howie took a flyer on a WR with potential. He won’t have much time to acclimate to the Eagles though.
Loaded depth chart in Houston? Really? Nico Collins is awesome but is about as tough as a wet paper bag. Dell will be gone all year and the others are rookies that haven’t done a thing in the league yet. Not quite sure this will help HOU much. Don’t see why you’d make this trade? Hopefully Metchie gets a chance in a crowded PHI lineup. He has talent.
Crowded???
After Smith they are horrible…
If Metchie can run a couple routes and catch the ball he is already way ahead of the slop the Eagles have behind AJ and Smith…
Clueless nonsense.
He probably won’t make the birds roster IMO
John Metche doesn’t have any guaranteed money left on his contract. I wouldn’t be surprised if both players got cut before the start of the season. Howie letting Houston have their 5th back for the Chauncey Gardner trade, with the Eagles already having 100 5th round picks scheduled for next year.
The picks traded today “undid” the Day 3 draft swap in the CJGJ-Green deal.
Basically, you can record the two trades as one – CJGJ & Bryant to Houston for K. Green & Metchie.
In essence the Eagles traded CJGJ and Bryant for K.Green and Metchie. CJGJ will probably be the best of the 4 this year ( if healthy), Bryant is a marginal TE that wasn’t going to make the Eagles. K Green has almost zero chance of making it with the Eagles and Metchie is the wild card. He’s on the final year of his rookie deal and while he has potential will be behind trying to pick up the offense coming in this late. I’d say the Texans got the better end of the deal at first glance.
Another Alabama player to the Eagles. He played with Smith in college.
Who for who?
This is what Howie does. He takes fliers on high upside guys in the last year of their rookie deal because it gives him the option of either extending them or moving on from them after a year with no financial penalty.
Green And Metchie are not getting cut. Green might end up on the injured list to start the season or even straight up full season IR but Howie would never admit a mistake like that by cutting a guy he traded something real for.
Trading for Metchie means the Eagles think he’s better than or could be better than somebody aside from their main two (three?) WRs.
My money is on Dotson or Anias Smith. I think Wilson is basically a lock to make it because he’s a big WR who, like Brown, can play on the outside and potentially be moved around.
Smith might make it as a return man and fifth (now sixth) receiver but imo Darius Cooper should be the choice. Metchie definitely doesn’t get cut though. Guaranteed.
I think Anias Smith ends up being odd man out. He’s small, and not nearly as quick/ shifty everyone claims he is. Darius Cooper has looked way better than him this camp and I think earned a roster spot. Either that or they’re gonna keep 7 WRs
Cooper looks like the real deal. Smith has looked way more like the guy they thought they were drafting but Cooper could be a legit starting WR.
I’ve noticed the Eagles tend to make sure they have a backup to each WR in case of injury. Dotson is Smith’s backup. They’ve had a big 4th WR for a few years now to be AJ’s backup, and I think Cooper is legitimately that but Wilson probably gets the nod due to uniqueness, being drafted by them, and the fact he’s also played so well. I think they keep five or six WRs. If five, they probably try to stash Cooper on the practice squad. Having Dickerson start on PUP helps, too. Gives them a temporary extra spot.
Dickerson won’t be on PUP, he’s scheduled to play week 1. they’ll have to keep at least 6 WRs. You got the obvious AJ, Devonta, Dotson, Metchie. Then I feel like you have to keep Wilson with the summer hes had and what he brings as a blocker. And then Cooper has just been too good to let go of for everything you said. But no chance they keep less than 6 I think. Problem is, even with 6, Anias Smith seems like the odd man out. He’s probably way easier to stash on PS too. Cooper has shown too much to get away with PS. He’ll get picked up in a heartbeat. The only other alternative is to keep 7 which seems excessive
“For Who? For What?”
— Ricky Watters
Harrison Bryant is the winner of this trade. That kid has talent but he’s been buried on the depth chart in Cleveland and LVand has had some injury issues. Super athletic RedZone threat and a good blocker. Hope he gets some burn in Houston
Agreed but don’t discount the change of scenery for Metchie and chance to learn from an established Pro Bowler who happened to be his college roommate or a perennial All Pro like Brown and be part of the defending champions.
Even if Metchie doesn’t do a lot, just contributing at all to a team like that and especially if he shows he’s unselfish and a team player)
will greatly help his free agent value. Teams are always looking to add unselfish guys from winning organizations.