John Metchie III has joined the Philadelphia Eagles after being traded from the Houston Texans. The trade, which was finalized on Monday, involved the Eagles sending a 2026 fifth-round pick and tight end Harrison Bryant to Houston in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick and Metchie. Metchie was originally selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft following his college career at Alabama.
Metchie’s journey to Philadelphia follows significant personal challenges. He suffered a torn ACL during his final season at Alabama and later faced a leukemia diagnosis. Despite these setbacks, he returned to play two seasons with Houston as he worked to find his role within their offense.
Now with the Eagles, Metchie joins a wide receiver group that includes A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith—his former teammate at Alabama—and Jahan Dotson, who has known Metchie since high school.
“Just kind of being present with everything,” Metchie said when asked about his perspective over the last three years. “Living the dream. Not worrying about a bunch of things you can’t control. I think that’s probably the biggest one. And understanding the things that you can control, the things you’re grateful for. Things like that.”
The transition comes late in training camp, giving Metchie little time to learn Philadelphia’s offense before possibly appearing in Friday’s preseason game against the New York Jets.
“Football is football. That’s what it comes down to,” said Metchie regarding adapting to his new team. “There is a lot of hard work that goes into this. It feels like home (here). The locker room just feels like home. The Alabama guys, the Georgia guys … really everyone. It has a really good feel.”
Metchie emphasized how overcoming health challenges made him stronger both personally and professionally: “for you and your loved ones. Aside from that, everything else is just a blessing.”
Eagles wide receiver Jahan Dotson also spoke about how challenging it was adjusting after joining Philadelphia last year but noted improvement through offseason work with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
As for Metchie’s role on his new team, coaches will work with him as he adapts and looks for ways to contribute during the season.
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