‘Arrow Up Guy’

PHILADELPHIA – The annual pre-draft press conferences across the league typically sound the same. The proverbial hay is in the barn, after all, with the NFL Draft set to kick off in just over a week.

As such, the focus of these availabilities is geared more toward the broader, big-picture scope of the team as opposed to specifics about process and prospects. The caveat this year, however, at least as it pertains to the Eagles, is that the team days earlier traded for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks.

Tuesday’s pre-draft availability, conducted inside the Jefferson Health Training Complex auditorium, presented Eagles executive vice president/general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni an opportunity to offer their perspectives on the team’s most recent acquisition.

Wicks, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2023, previously functioned as a dependable depth option amid a logjam of pass-catchers at his previous stop, never eclipsing more than a 54-percent snap share in any of his first three seasons.

New Eagles WR Dontayvion Wicks is poised for a bigger role in Philadelphia than he had in Green Bay.

But in Philadelphia, Wicks not only steps into an offense that he’s familiar with, with former Packers quarterbacks coach Sean Mannion helming the offense; the Louisiana native is also positioned to undertake a more prominent role. Roseman didn’t mince words when highlighting Wicks’ value and the importance of fortifying depth at the position.

“Tay’s a player that we followed – obviously, we played Green Bay a bunch of times – and you see his skill set,” he said. “He is a physical, explosive player at the top of routes … he can play inside or out. So, he was a guy we had our eye on here. And then, bringing in some of these Green Bay guys. Some of the hardest part of our jobs is the cohab part. Not understanding who the person is.

“And so, when you get a chance to bring in some of these new coaches and then talk about some of the players and their skill set, and they know how they are in the building, it makes you feel even more confident when you make the acquisition. And I think when you look at our receiver room over the last couple of years – obviously, we lost Jahan [Dotson] – we’ve probably been fortunate about the depth that we haven’t really had to dive into.

“And just studying the league and seeing how many teams can go pretty deep in their receiver room, that was one of the priorities going into this offseason – increasing the depth of quality and talent in the receiver room, throughout the room. So, that really fit for us. Really excited to get Tay here and think he’s an arrow-up guy.”

Roseman would circle back on Wicks momentarily, noting that Packers quarterbacks “had a lot of trust” in the 24-year-old. He also referenced a handful of critical plays Wicks accounted for in the Packers’ Week 13 win over the Detroit Lions, including a 16-yard reception on 4th-and-3 to put the game on ice and a 22-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone, giving the Packers a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

Roseman even saw Wicks’ impact firsthand, adding that the 6-foot-1, 206-pound wideout was trusted in key situations against the Eagles.

To what extent Wicks will factor into the Eagles’ offensive plans in 2026 has yet to be determined, though it’s reasonable to presume his involvement is likely to balloon relative to the role he fulfilled in Green Bay for three seasons. Complicating matters is that the future of A.J. Brown, the team’s star wide receiver, remains uncertain and he could be moved at a later date.

The addition of Wicks certainly heightened the likelihood. The Eagles’ messaging throughout, however, has been consistent. And when Roseman was asked how he felt about the team’s depth at the position in the event Brown is moved, Roseman didn’t flinch.

“A.J. Brown’s an Eagle,” he said.

Regardless of whether Wicks is primed to climb the pecking order, the Eagles landed a pass-catcher they perceive to be trending upwards. A quarterback-friendly target who has delivered in critical moments and can separate with regularity. Should Brown remain in the fold, Wicks likely slots in third on the wide receiver depth chart.

If he’s out, Wicks has the tools to flourish with increased volume. In Philadelphia, Wicks reunites with a pair of former Packers assistants in Mannion and Ryan Mahaffey, the latter of which oversaw the Green Bay receiver room for two seasons. While that familiarity is invaluable when it comes to identifying schematic fits and understanding the person, it wasn’t the driving force in this case. The previous history is a benefit, sure, but Roseman made it clear that his objective is to first serve the team by arming the roster with quality talent.

“We’re really selfish,” Roseman said. “We’re trying to help ourselves and this football team first and foremost. So, from our perspective, the good players – obviously, it’s a plus when they’ve worked with those guys – but first and foremost, they’ve got to be good players that we like, too.

“We’re always trying to help the offense, the defense and special teams, but we’re trying to help the team. So, I obviously want Sean to have tremendous success here, but we want the team to have tremendous success. So, I think when we look at decisions like that, it’s not in a vacuum, where just one person is kind of deciding. We’re watching him, [Mannion is] watching him, we’re doing a full evaluation of the player just like he would be here.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com