Warm Reception

PHILADELPHIA — When the Eagles open camp next week, the receiving corps will look decidedly different.

Notably missing from the collection of pass catchers this summer will be All-Pro A.J. Brown, who for four seasons headlined the position room. Spring practices offered a glimpse of the post-Brown era, but training camp, with the regular season within reach, will be when the realization of the post-Brown era truly resonates.

First-year coordinator Sean Mannion will be chiefly tasked with rescuing a sluggish Eagles passing game. But before he enacts his vision, Mannion must first determine how to best accentuate the strengths of his group.

While the names and faces at the position, to a certain extent, have changed, head coach Nick Sirianni expressed an optimistic outlook heading into the 2026 season.

“I think that I’m really excited about this receiver room. Really excited,” Sirianni began, before detailing the personnel.

GETTY IMAGES: DeVonta Smith is WR1 now for the Eagles, and Nick Sirianni is excited about Smith’s potential.

Replacing Brown atop the depth chart will be DeVonta Smith, a sixth-year veteran perhaps best described as a silent assassin and a model of consistency. Smith, 27, has three 1,000-yard campaigns on his resume and has garnered over 100 targets in all but one of his first five seasons. The slenderly framed wideout checks off another box when it comes to availability, missing only five games in as many seasons. Smith last topped the wide receiver pecking order as a rookie, totaling 916 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 64 receptions. Smith’s stock has risen steadily over the years, and his staunch support within the building only strengthens the belief that he’s going to star in a headlining role.

“You know, Devonta Smith is just, he’s a special player that can continue to get even more targets than he – and he’s had over 100 targets, I believe, almost every year – and has had high, high volume a couple of the years,” Sirianni said. “So, he’s so capable of doing even more. And he’s a – man, he is such a good football player.”

Alterations of route concepts, along with alignments variations, should allow Smith to field the ball in space, showcasing his explosiveness in the open field. A three-level threat, Smith, in this timing-based passing offense, will presumably command a flurry of his targets in the intermediary levels of the field, where his razor-sharp route-running becomes invaluable. Once fully dialed-in, the passing game should also allow for Smith to generate more explosives.

Sirianni continued his rundown.

“And then, Tay Wicks has this great ability,” he continued. “Gosh, there are so many similarities — and, again, this is going to be a high praise statement and I’m not saying he’s this guy – but, gosh, he reminds me of Keenan Allen with the way he is in and out of breaks. I think some people say, ‘Yeah, this is who he is.’ This is this guy. And I think that everybody is their own individual.

“So, it’s like, you know, this portion of the game reminds me of this guy’s portion of the game. And Keenan, with the way they are off the line of scrimmage, the way they are at the top of the route, the way they are with the ball in their hands, he just really reminds me of him in that aspect.”

The passing game runs through Smith, but Wicks might be the X-factor. The Eagles traded for Dontayvion “Tay” Wicks in April, sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers. The team then proceeded to ink Wicks to a one-year, $12.5 million extension. A role player with the Packers, Wicks will be expected to deliver in an appreciably more expanded role.

It’ll be a notable leap for Wicks, 25, as he’s never eclipsed more than 39 receptions and 76 targets in any of his first three seasons. Still, the 6-foot-1, 206-pound receiver showcased intriguing flashes along the way, answering the bell for the Packers in big moments. And it’s also worth noting that Wicks reunites with two former Packer assistants in Mannion and Eagles run game coordinator/tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey.

While both share a unique perspective of the player, Mahaffey, who for two seasons helmed the Green Bay receiver room, worked directly with Wicks on a daily basis.

New WR Dontayvion Wicks reminds Nick Sirianni of Keenan Allen, an All-Pro WR who Sirianni once coached.

Wicks, a strong separator at the top of routes, is also adept at using his body for positioning, shielding defenders. The fourth-year pro doesn’t profile as a vertical threat, and he’ll need to catch the ball with better consistency, but Wicks should emerge early as a prominent mid-range option. His background in the Packers’ offense should give Wicks a head start over others.

Then there’s rookie Makai Lemon, the No. 20 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. The USC product was sidelined this spring with a hamstring injury, so he’ll have to make up for lost time in training camp. Lemon, smooth in his own right as a route-runner, developed a knack for finding the soft spots in coverage to move the chains. His toughness reveals itself in contested catch situations and when grinding out yards after the catch. As a rookie, Lemon projects as a dynamic inside receiver, complementing Smith and Wicks. His progress this summer will be worth monitoring, to be sure, but a sizeable role awaits.

Sirianni then got to Lemon, followed by a pair of veterans added to the mix this offseason.

“Makai, obviously, we drafted him for a reason where we drafted him, and he has this ability to catch the football in tough situations,” he said. “I’ve liked Marquise Brown and Elijah Moore for a long time. I’ve really always admired their game of how they played, and it’s just been nice to see them. Like, they have these really special traits, like, to have our third, fourth receiver be these guys … I’m really excited about this room.”

To no surprise, Sirianni emphatically endorsed the revamped receiver room. Perhaps that’s what’s to be expected from a head coach as this stage of the NFL calendar. And, in fairness, Sirianni is sometimes generous when heaping praise. The sense here, though, is that Sirianni’s enthusiasm should be taken at face value. The on-field impact, of course, is to be determined. But it’s clear that there’s a vision for how each piece, each skill set, fits into the big picture puzzle.

Not to be excluded, Sirianni continued down the depth chart, highlighting some of the lesser-known Eagles. From top to bottom, his excitement regarding the new-look room is obvious.

“And then you get Quez, who’s back for a second go-around,” he said. “Danny Gray shows some great promise. I haven’t even gotten into Darius Cooper or Johnny Wilson, who have been these mainstays as far as the style of play that we need, and that this offense is going to continue to need as kind of our tough guy there.

“I’m excited for the extra opportunities that DeVonta is going to get his way. And I know every time that we’ve given him extra opportunities, he’s always taking advantage of those. And so, now he’s going to get more of those. And then there’s guys that are going to have to – everyone’s going to have to – step up in different areas.

“And I’m really confident that this group has this talent level and the want-to to be able to do that, and I’m excited about that with this group. Of course, you know how I feel about A.J., and I wish him the best, but you’re focused on the guys that are here and you’re focused on the guys that, you know, you’re about to go to battle with here. And that’s what we’re focused on. And I’m really, really pleased with this group of how they go about their work, and the skill level and the talent that they have, and how we’re kind of coming together as a team.”

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