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Former Pro Bowler sends loud message on how Eagles need to handle WR room

Is he right, though?
Anthony Miller
Anthony Miller

Inside the Iggles

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The tide has change with the Philadelphia Eagles in terms of what is going on with the wide receiver room.

A.J. Brown is about to get traded in a few weeks, with DeVonta Smith taking over as the number one guy. Smith will have plenty of help, though, between rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, and Elijah Moore. Even with all those guys there now, former Pro Bowl wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh appeared on the Speakeasy show, where he shared how the Eagles should approach the wide receiver room.

"It's DeVonta Smith," Houshmandzadeh said. "Then it's everyone else. The receiver-by-committee can't work. You have to have a go-to guy."

DeVonta Smith has to be the number one wide receiver in the offense

This should be a very true statement as Smith has to be the first player Jalen Hurts targets in the passing game. Smith has been working all offseason to prepare for this moment and has earned it.

One thing that is known about Hurts is that he has two or three pass catchers he likes to throw to in games and sticks with them. Smith and Dallas Goedert are going to be those guys early, but Hurts has to find a third option.

Lemon and Wicks could early on be those guys with Wicks on the outside and Lemon lining up in the slot. Hollywood will be the interesting one to watch to see how he fits into the offense and whether he can contribute right away. His speed will give Hurts the deep threat he hasn't really had outside of Quez Watkins, but will there be enough playing time for him?

Read more: Eagles coach made sure to make his stance crystal clear about future with the team

There's no doubt Smith is the number one guy, but with all the receivers the Eagles have, there might be more targets distributed between all of them.

Anthony Miller

Anthony Miller

Anthony has been covering football since 2019 starting with his coverage on the XFL and has expanded to the NFL, college football, CFL, and UFL. He is currently the site expert for Inside the Iggles & Bear Goggles On and contributor for The Viking Age. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Network, Athlon Sports, and more.