Familiar faces | Sports Daily Newsletter
John Metchie reconnects with old friends in the Eagles’ receiving corps.
As training camp nears its end, and the 53-man roster deadline looms, the Eagles decided to trade for wide receiver John Metchie from the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Metchie overcame an ACL tear late in 2021 while he starred at Alabama and battled an acute promyelocytic leukemia diagnosis that forced him to miss his NFL rookie season in 2022.
The 25-year-old flew to Philadelphia looking for a fresh start. “Living the dream. Not worrying about a bunch of things you can’t control,” he said Tuesday.
It’s hard to imagine that the Eagles would make a trade for Metchie if they didn’t think he would make their roster.
While the trio of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson are atop of the depth chart, Tuesday’s practice showed why there’s never enough depth when Johnny Wilson was carted off the field after he suffered an apparent injury to his left leg.
The trade was a low-risk move for the Eagles with a potentially high reward if Metchie breaks out with his new team, and he’s started to lean on some familiar faces in his position group to get acclimated.
Also, Brown and Smith did not practice Tuesday, so Metchie got some reps with the first-team offense during his first day on the job. He even fielded some punts during special teams drills, something he never did in college or the NFL.
A few other injuries piled on. Jeff McLane shares his practice observations with a lighter receiving corps and struggling offense.
— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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José Alvarado returned to the Phillies on Tuesday after serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. While he’s happy to be back with his teammates, his punishment is not quite over: He is ineligible for the postseason. Said Alvarado: “It’s hard because I know I want to be there.”
J.T. Realmuto’s go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth saved a strong performance from Cristopher Sánchez in the Phillies’ win over the Seattle Mariners. Sánchez tied his career-high with 12 strikeouts.
Next: The Phillies continue their series against the Mariners at 1:05 p.m. today (NBCSP, NBC10). Jesús Luzardo (11-6, 4.21) will start against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo (8-6, 3.48).
South Jersey native Tim Lopez spent over a decade of his life working as the grill chef and first cook for the Eagles. The 47-year-old had a handful of unique interactions, and now the chef is releasing a cookbook, Kickoff Kitchen. Inquirer writer Ariel Simpson talked with Lopez about his career, food culture, and some of his favorite memories with the team.
Around half the WNBA’s players played in overseas leagues last offseason. While those numbers have dropped significantly in the last decade due to the league’s expansion, there’s a handful of Philly-bred talent who still spend the offseason abroad. We hear about their experience and reaction to a new WNBA team coming to the city.
Sports snapshot
Done deal: Jakob Glesnes had a remarkable turnaround to earn him a new multiyear contract with the Union.
Tee off: Former Eagles players showed their support at the Brian Westbrook Foundation charity golf tournament on Tuesday.
Baseball revival: The 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philly could bring the potential for more of the city’s ballfields to be rehabilitated.
What our staff are saying
It’s no secret that the Eagles run the ball well. But even that very true, very direct sentence doesn’t capture fully the degree to which the Eagles’ willingness and ability to run the ball — with Saquon Barkley, with Jalen Hurts, with their offensive line, with the other running backs they’ve had recently — has made them one of the best teams in the league and literally made them the best team in the league last season. They are still the bullies on the NFL’s block, writes columnist Mike Sielski.
Commemorate the Super Birds and feel the roar of last season all over again with “WHAT A RUN!” — The Inquirer’s championship book packed with epic stories and jaw-dropping photos from our Sports team. A must-have for every Philly fan. Grab your copy now from The Inquirer Store.
🧠 Trivia time answer
In what state were the Philadelphia 76ers founded?
B) New York — Dale J. was first with the correct answer.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Jeff McLane, Alex Coffey, Mike Sielski, Jonathan Tannenwald, Sidney Snider, Ariel Simpson, and Colin Evans.
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Wednesday, Philly. Kerith will be in your inbox with tomorrow’s newsletter. — Bella