Eagles’ John Metchie makes his preseason debut, while other receivers try to prove their spot

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — John Metchie had just about 48 hours to prepare for his Eagles preseason debut.

He’s still living out of a suitcase after his whirlwind trade to Philadelphia this week, but after two practices, he was lined up with the Eagles’ offense, ready to try and make an impact.

He didn’t wait long. McCord targeted him twice on his first two dropbacks in Friday’s preseason finale against the New York Jets, a 19-17 win, and Metchie made one contested catch for a 14-yard gain on the first offensive play of the game.

“It’s twofold, because, one, you’re trying to learn the offense, and, two, you’re trying to get a grasp of how things were even going to run today,” Metchie said. “But I think it all goes into the same [thing], so just preparing.”

Coming to Philadelphia hasn’t been a huge culture shock for the former Alabama receiver, who played with DeVonta Smith in college and went to the Peddie School in Mercer County, N.J. The terminology in the playbook might be changing, but many things have stayed the same.

“It’s just football,” Metchie said.

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Still, Metchie’s arrival has major implications for the wide receivers ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. roster cutdown deadline — and it’s not even the latest wrinkle. Second-year receiver Johnny Wilson suffered a season-ending knee injury at practice on Aug. 19, which took another roster contender off the board.

That could be good news for undrafted rookie Darius Cooper, who made a big impression in the Birds’ preseason opener with six catches for 82 yards and a touchdown and has been receiving some first-team reps in practice.

Cooper had just one catch on three targets against the Jets but left the game at the half with Metchie. Meanwhile, Ainias Smith played well into the second half before leaving the game, which suggests that the undrafted rookie has pulled ahead of the second-year Smith on the depth chart.

Against the Jets, Ainias Smith let one pass from McCord slip through his fingers and had another drop negated by a penalty. He also had two punt returns for 7 yards, including one he should not have fielded, and one 18-yard kick return. It was a disappointing performance compared to the preseason opener, when Smith caught a touchdown and had a 46-yard punt return.

“I feel like I had a pretty good preseason, whole camp I feel like I did pretty good,” Ainias Smith said postgame. “Today, probably not my best day at all. … Had a couple drops, some blocks that I should have made, just few opportunities that you really need in a game like this.”

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Four wide receiver spots likely are locked for A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, and Metchie. There’s room for Cooper and Ainias Smith on the 53-man roster if the Eagles choose to go in that direction, but both are under 6-foot, not exactly a one-to-one replacement for the 6-6 Wilson, who was used mostly as a blocker last year. The Eagles could choose to carry just five receivers to hold onto players at other positions, leaving one the odd man out.

Based on Friday’s game, it looks like that could be Ainias Smith. But he’s trying not to stress too much waiting for 4 p.m. Tuesday.

“The work is put in,” he said. “I’ve just got to wait it out.”