PHILADELPHIA -- The battle for a few wide receiver spots on the Philadelphia Eagles are starting to heat up. Behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, there are a few spots up for grabs.
Parris Campbell, John Ross, and Britain Covey are in a competition for a WR3 job. Covey will make the roster since he's one of the best punt returners in the game. Whether the Eagles keep five or six wide receivers will remain a storyline throughout camp.
There are two rookies in the fold too. Fifth-round pick Ainias Smith and sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson. Jalen Hurts, unprompted, gave one of them a shout out prior to the Eagles open training camp practice at Lincoln Financial Field.
"We did 1-on-1's the other day, and there was Johnny Wilson, shows up and makes two big-time catches, and I tell him, 'It's no surprise when you prepare for those situations,'" Hurts said. "He put the time in during the offseason and we spent that quality time together. It shows."
Wilson has had a few drops during the open practices, but earned reps with the first team during Thursday's practice. The Eagles do need some depth on the outside, which is where Wilson's 6-6, 228-pound frame comes in. He's not exactly in the mix for the WR3 job, but a different role on the roster.
Because he's a draft pick, Wilson is likely to remain on the Eagles' 53-man roster. The Eagles could use some length on their wide receiver unit, especially since Campbell, Covey, Ross, and Smith aren't exactly tall guys.
"[He's] big, physical, can bring an element of toughness and blocking to the group," said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. "As far as the No. 3 receiver, I mean, it can be a lot of different things, but you need different types of skill sets, and I'm really excited about the skillsets we have at the No. 3 receiver."
The Eagles appear to be mixing and maxing their No. 3 wide receiver job. Wilson has played himself into that mix.
"It doesn't have to be all from one guy, right," Sirianni said. "Not one person has to fill the role of anything. And it could. We're far away from having to play that and some games could look different than others."
