Over the next three or so weeks (basically whenever there isn't other news to cover), we'll take a look at every player on the Philadelphia Eagles' roster, and how they fit with the team heading into training camp. Today we'll look at the wide receivers.

Previous training camp previews

Quarterback | Running back

DeVonta Smith

Smith was one of the most decorated college receivers ever, and his skills translated to the next level as a rookie.

There were some concerns about Smith's wiry frame entering the NFL, but it never inhibited him as a rookie in any obvious way, either in terms of durability or getting outmuscled by defenders.

Smith broke the Eagles' single-season rookie receiving yards record in 2021. He finished with 64 catches for 916 yards (14.3 YPC) and 5 TDs, despite playing in the most run-heavy offense in the NFL, and with a quarterback who struggled at times with accuracy. In another offense, he probably would have done even more damage. Smith made his share of highlight reel catches, and was a toe-tap machine near the sidelines. He is a legitimate No. 1 type of receiver in the making. 

In 2022, Smith could benefit from the addition of A.J. Brown, as opposing defenses will not be able to key on Smith in the passing game, which should help open up more opportunities for him. 

A.J. Brown

We took a comprehensive look at Brown's 2021 season back in May. It's good, so go read that!

If you're too lazy, the Cliff's Notes are as follows: 

• His season production (63-869-5) doesn't look special on paper, but when you factor in the context that (a) he missed four games, (b) the Titans had the second-most run heavy offense in the NFL, and (c) he was still by far the Titans' most productive receiver, he was plenty productive.

• The Titans were a different offense in games Brown didn't play. Their passing and point total outputs took a big hit when he was out.

• He was at his best in big games, and in crucial moments of games.

• He was a better route runner, deep threat, and he possessed better field awareness than I was expecting. Those three areas of his game were pleasant surprises. He was a beast against press coverage, which was not a surprise.

• Brown is known as a tackle-breaking YAC monster, but that is based more on his play in 2019 and 2020. He was disappointing in that area in 2021, likely due to a laundry list of injuries that he fought through during the season.

• He had more than his share of bad drops.

Assuming he can regain his tackle-breaking ways from 2019 and 2020, Brown brings a new element to the Eagles' offense that they were missing from the wide receiver position. He is big and physical, and a perfect complement to the separation-creating Smith and the speed guy in Quez Watkins.

Obviously, Brown will be a major player of interest in 2022 camp, since he's a new player, but it'll also be interesting to see how quickly he gels with Jalen Hurts. Brown lives in the middle of the field, and Hurts has often shied away from making tougher window throws to the intermediate parts of the field, particularly down the middle and to his left. Training camp will be our first look at whether or not Brown's skills will be maximized (or not) in the Eagles' offense.

Quez Watkins

Like Brown above, we took a comprehensive look at Watkins' 2021 season earlier this offseason. And again, it's good, so go read it!

After a rookie season during which he had 7 catches for 106 yards and 1 TD, Watkins made significant strides in Year 2. He had a fantastic training camp and earned a starting spot in the Eagles' offense. On the season, Watkins had 43 catches for 647 yards and 1 TD. He ranked third on the team both in receptions and receiving yards, with a big gap between himself and the rest of the Eagles' receivers below him.

Like Smith, Watkins suffered from playing with an accuracy-challenged quarterback, perhaps even more so because of his down-the-field ability. For example:

Watkins was quietly productive as the Eagles' No. 2 receiver, which is a weird thing to say of a player who had 12 receptions of 20-plus yards. Those receptions went for 91, 41, 53, 24, 23, 27, 22, 28, 39, 22, 36, and 35 yards. He also had a pair of 20-plus-yard receptions negated by penalties against the Cowboys Week 3. 

In addition to his obvious speed, Watkins is also surprisingly effective in contested catch situations, and a bad drop against the Broncos aside, he displayed good hands throughout the season. He was also a feisty runner after the catch, as he looked to break tackles rather than give himself up.

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The Eagles' trio of Brown, Smith, and TE Dallas Goedert are going to dominate targets in the Eagles' offense in 2022. However, Watkins will certainly have a role, and I would look for Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen to scheme up a few plays per game specifically intended for Watkins.

When the ball isn't going Watkins' way, opposing defenses will still have to respect his deep speed, which could help open up the short and intermediate areas of the field for Brown, Smith, and Goedert to operate.

Watkins averaged 3.4 targets per game in 2021. Even if that total dips a smidge in 2022 while going from WR2 to WR3, I believe he is being slept on a bit as a playmaker who can have a real impact in some games this season.

Zach Pascal

Sirianni mentioned Pascal unprompted throughout his rookie season as a head coach, for various reasons. As such, he always felt like a player the Eagles could sign this offseason, and sure enough, they did. He's sort of like Doug Pederson's Chase Daniel.

Pascal isn't the splashiest player on the market, but he could be a meat and potatoes guy with a smaller role in the Eagles' offense, likely as a slot receiver.

Over the last four seasons, Pascal has played in 64 games for the Colts, starting 44. His production isn't impressive, as he has averaged 38 catches for 472 yards and 4 TDs per season, despite ample playing time. It's perhaps noteworthy that Pascal was more productive and on an upward trajectory when Sirianni was the offensive coordinator, but his numbers took a dip after Sirianni left for Philly and he had to play with Carson Wentz.

A highlight reel from the 2020 season can be found here. Pascal has good size at 6'2, 219, and he has earned a reputation in Indy as one of the best blocking wide receivers in the NFL. For example:

If Sirianni wants a dirty work kind of receiver in his offense, like J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was in 2021, Pascal could be that guy, but with some ability to actually catch a football on occasion as well.

Jalen Reagor

After a disappointing rookie season, Reagor had an absolutely dreadful second season in the pros. Despite playing 803 snaps in the regular offense (including the playoffs), he had a paltry 299 receiving yards and had three games in which he actually had negative yards from scrimmage. 

Against the Giants Week 12, he dropped two potential game-winning touchdowns. On the first one, at least he had a defender draped all over him. On the second one, I mean...

And then in the Eagles' playoff game against the Bucs, he punctuated his 2021 season with a team-deflating muffed punt.

Reagor now finds himself fifth in the pecking order at wide receiver, at best. A common sentiment this offseason was that Reagor could not come back to the team in 2022, but beyond the salary cap hindrances (it'll cost more to cut him than keep him) he's a first-round pick and the general manager has control over the 53-man roster. Hell, even Marcus Smith was able to last on the Eagles' roster for three seasons.

It's still possible that the Eagles could trade Reagor, I suppose, but it's a lot more likely that he'll be back on the roster in 2022. If you're an optimist, you can maybe look back at Nelson Agholor's disastrous first two seasons in Philly, before he broke out in his third year.  

Greg Ward

In three seasons with the Eagles, Ward has 88 catches for 768 yards and 10 TDs. In 2021, he had just 7 catches for 95 yards and 3 TDs. Ward is a good story, a true professional, and he has some versatility in that he can at least field punts. The team likes him, but not so much that they were willing to tender him as a restricted free agent this offseason, which would have cost $2,433,000. 

Instead, the Eagles declined Ward's tender, and he was free to sign with any team. He eventually came back to the Eagles on a one-year deal worth $1 million. 

John Hightower

Hightower's rookie season got off to a fantastic start in training camp, when he stacked impressive plays routinely, practice after practice, rarely ever dropping any passes. In fact, he was the leading "stock up" vote getter in a "stock up - stock down" media poll after the first 10 practices of camp. (Please don't actually click that "stock up - stock down" poll, as it's an embarrassment for the Eagles' media contingent, lol.)

When the lights came on and the players put on the shiny pants for the regular season, however, Hightower's encouraging play in training camp did not carry over into the actual games. And really, he was one of the least efficient players on a roster filled to the brim with underachievers in 2020. 

On the season, Hightower was targeted 29 times. He had 10 catches, 167 yards, 0 TDs, three drops, only five first downs, and five passes intended for Hightower were intercepted. When Eagles quarterbacks targeted Hightower in 2020, they had a QB rating of 15.2.

In 2021, Hightower appeared in one game, which was against the Chargers. He played 2 snaps in the regular offense, and 9 on special teams. Hightower has some deep threat ability, but he will need a camp like the one he had his rookie season to have a chance of sniffing the final 53.

Devon Allen

Allen is a 27-year-old, three-time U.S. national champion in the 110-meter hurdles.

Allen's college football career got off to a fast start as a freshman at Oregon in 2014, when he caught 41 passes for 684 yards (16.7 YPC) and 7 TDs. He also averaged 26.1 yards on kick returns. His football career was derailed, however, after he suffered multiple knee injuries, and he decided to focus on track and field. A highlight reel:

In 2022, Allen chose to give football another go, competing at Oregon's pro day, and running a 4.35 40. The Eagles signed him in April.

Deon Cain

Cain was a sixth-round pick of the Colts out of Clemson in 2018. He played for Sirianni for two seasons in Indy, before bouncing around with the Steelers, Ravens, and now the Eagles, who added him to the practice squad in October last season. 9 career catches, 124 yards. 

Britain Covey

The Eagles signed Covey as an undrafted rookie free agent. He is a small slot receiver who originally enrolled at Utah in 2015. He played in 2015, did missionary work for two years, and then returned to the field in 2018. In 47 career games, Covey had 184 catches for 2011 yards and 11 TDs. However, his real appeal is as a returner. He had 5 career punt/kick return TDs, including 3 in 2021.

Obviously, the Eagles' return game has not been good, and if Covey can show value there he could sneak onto the roster. It's interesting that Goedert gave Covey a shoutout as a player who impressed in OTAs.

Josh Hammond

Hammond (6'0, 194) was claimed by the Eagles off of waivers from the Jaguars. Any time the Eagles add a player from Jacksonville, we're legally obligated to note that former Jags GM Dave Caldwell now works for the Eagles. There's also a connection between Hammond and Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, who was Florida's quarterbacks coach for two years during Hammond's college career.

Caldwell signed Hammond out of Florida as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. At Florida, Hammond had 87 receptions for 1138 yards (13.1 YPC) and 6 TDs over a 40-game college career. He appeared in two games for the Jaguars in 2021, but only played 13 snaps in the regular offense and did not post any stats.

Keric Wheatfall

Wheatfall (6'1, 194) was invited to try out for the Eagles during a recent rookie minicamp, and he impressed enough to earn a UDFA contract.

Wheatfall had 38 receptions for 616 yards (16.2 YPC) and 4 TDs in 12 games for Fresno State in 2021. He had 78 receptions for 1286 yards (16.5 YPC) and 6 TD over a 26-game college career at Fresno.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler had Wheatfall rated as the 200th best wide receiver prospect during this draft cycle. He ran a 4.56 40 at his pro day. A scouting report, via Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork: 

Positives: Sure-handed receiver coming off a terrific senior season. Uses the sidelines well, settles into the open spot of the defense, and displays strong hands. Tracks the pass in the air, makes the difficult over-the-shoulder reception, and shows excellent focus. Uses his frame to shield away opponents or his hands to separate from defenders.

Negatives: Plays to one speed and lacks the second gear. Has a limited route tree. Marginally productive at Fresno State.

Analysis: Though never super productive, Wheatfall displayed consistent progress in his game and comes with an upside. He’s worth keeping on a practice squad this fall with the possibility of future development.

You can find some highlights here (explicit lyric warning on the background music).

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