Jalen Hurts’ wide receiver group looks different from what was expected in camp. His preparation keeps moving forward.
Injuries to DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon have altered the depth chart, but Hurts has praised those who have been present.
Jalen Hurts has been preparing for this situation.
On Tuesday, the Eagles offense entered its second week of training camp without DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon, two of the top (if not the top) receivers on the team. Both pass catchers have missed time with hamstring injuries. While their exact timelines for return are unclear, their ailments are not considered long-term concerns.
Such is life in the NFL, as Hurts knows. In 2023, for example, he lacked top receiver A.J. Brown for the wild-card blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Smith had 148 receiving yards in that game. No other receiver had more than 32.
Building chemistry with every receiver, not just the top targets, is critical for a quarterback’s success in the passing game during a long, unpredictable season, according to Hurts. The injuries to Smith and Lemon are reminders of that reality.
That process of building chemistry doesn’t start during the offseason program, take a break in late June, then pick back up with training camp. Hurts spent time with his receivers, including the tight ends, over the summer for workouts and off-the-field bonding in Orlando, Fla.
“I put an onus on the time that we spend in the summertime, and that’s always been a very important thing to me,” Hurts said Tuesday. “So the time that we’ve been able to take advantage of in that time and carry that on to where we are now, and the game happens, injuries happen, and so in all, it’s about how you respond, who steps up, and who’s able to fill that void.”
A variety of receivers are attempting to fill that void, including newcomers Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, and Elijah Moore. But perhaps none of the active roster contenders among the receivers corps are more unheralded than Darius Cooper, the 2025 undrafted free agent out of Tarleton State.
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Cooper, 24, made the initial 53-man roster out of training camp last year, but his role on the team wasn’t prominent. Nick Sirianni labeled him one of the “dirty work guys” of the Eagles offense last season, primarily responsible for blocking.
He had just 11 targets in 2025, resulting in nine receptions for 92 yards. But with Smith and Lemon absent, Cooper’s targets have exploded in training camp. He had his best day on Monday, when he hauled in several impressive catches that ran the gamut of the route tree.
How good can Cooper be in Year 2?
“I think he’s pretty good already, and I think he’s going to continue to grow,” Hurts said. “I can’t make you a promise and say that he’s going to be X, Y, Z. Just think he’s going to continue to develop into the player he’s shown he is, and he has very strong hands. He’s always been really good at the deep ball from his time back in small-college Texas ball.
“He’s got a hunger and he’s got a diligence about himself. And I think those are great competitive qualities, competitive traits that you can have.”
Hurts also lauded Cooper’s physicality and his “really big catch radius.” Both traits allow him to make contested catches, a skill set he has displayed through two weeks of camp.
“I just think I’m excited to see him grow, continue to grow, and grow with him,” Hurts said.
But Smith and Lemon aren’t out of sight, let alone out of mind, as Sean Mannion irons out the offense. Both receivers have been present on the sideline during camp, often listening to the play calls through a headset during team drills.
The offense is new, but Smith is a seasoned, proven veteran who has missed time during training camp before. Lemon, the first-rounder out of USC, is not. Hurts has been impressed with how the rookie has handled his acclimation to the NFL despite being sidelined.
He noted that Lincoln Riley, his former coach at Oklahoma and Lemon’s coach at USC, told him that the rookie receiver brings an intensity to his preparation.
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Hurts can sense that intensity, too, even though he isn’t suited up on the field.
“The way he’s been engaging himself and doing the things that Smitty’s doing, and being right there in the huddle,” Hurts said. “He may not be getting these reps, but am I in the huddle? Am I feeling it? Am I getting that same vibe and that same energy as if I am playing and I do have my pads on? So I just think it’s all in the preparation.”
The Eagles will have to wait until Lemon recovers from his injury for that preparation to pay off.
Hurts, while grateful for the increased reps with his other receivers, was hopeful that he wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
“Hopefully, we can get that ball rolling here soon, get everybody healthy, and see who all we have,” Hurts said.
The Eagles are grinding their way through the second week of training camp. Some parts of the team have looked good, others remain very much a work in progress. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Jeff Neiburg assess quarterback Jalen Hurts’ play, how some of his targets are faring, and why, regardless of how the offense is coming together, the defense could be elite enough to help the Eagles contend for another title. Listen here.
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