One clip is enough to convince Eagles they found A.J. Brown's replacement

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to really put in the work at training camp, and fans are seeing a clearer picture of this team.

One of the biggest storylines going into camp was who among the wide receivers would step up and officially replace A.J. Brown after he was traded to the New England Patriots. While DeVonta Smith is the true WR1 physically, the Eagles need a WR2, with the choices being Dontayvion Wicks, rookie Makai Lemon, and Hollywood Brown.

On Day 1, it was more of a collective effort, with some good things from the wide receivers. While Day 2 was dominated by the defense, one receiver did emerge from the pack to really separate himself from the rest.

Eagles might have found their true WR2 on Day 2 of training camp

NBC Sports Eagles reporter Dave Zangaro reported his observations from the second day of training camp. One play showed that Wicks could emerge as the man Jalen Hurts turns to besides Smith.

"The play of the day on Thursday came from receiver Dontayvion Wicks.

With the first-team offense facing the third-team defense, Jalen Hurts was on the run and tossed up a deep ball that was slightly underthrown to Wicks, who climbed the ladder to pull it down in double coverage with Jakorian Bennett and Cole Wisniewski in his face. Wicks (6-1, 206) just outmuscled the defenders to make the grab about 35-40 yards down the field.

The Eagles traded for Wicks this offseason, bringing in the veteran from Green Bay, where he was buried a bit on the depth chart. The Eagles then gave him a one-year, $12.5 million extension. The Birds clearly liked Wicks’ potential and we saw some of that on Day 2 of camp."

Wicks always had the talent to be one of the top receivers on the Packers, but he just got swallowed up on the depth chart. In his three-year NFL career, he had 581 yards in his rookie season in 2023 and five touchdowns in 2024, both career highs.

With the Eagles, though, the franchise is putting a lot more money into him, so they want Wicks to get the ball often. His familiarity with new Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion from their days with the Packers also gives him an advantage with the scheme.

Every new receiver has their own traits that make them special. Wicks is going to be the one-on-one guy Hurts is looking for at the goal line. That clip from training camp, though, shows that Hurts might be able to push the ball down the field with Wicks and let him climb up and make the catch.

Read more: Eagles' Howie Roseman might be better off ignoring Vic Fangio's plea

A.J. Brown is going to be a tough player for the Eagles to replace, but they have enough talent there to figure out who the right guy is. For the moment, Wicks has done enough to earn that role and continue to earn Hurts' trust throughout camp.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow