Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro bring back Stay or Go in 2026, trying to figure out the futures of every Eagles player on the roster.
We already took a look, at quarterback and running back.
Up today: Receiver
A.J. Brown
Roob: Interesting one right off the bat. I have no idea what Brown’s future looks like. I do know if he’s going to be a problem and a distraction again and play like he did in the 49ers game the Eagles are better off without him. But I also know when he’s locked in he’s a top-5 wide receiver in this league, and I know Jeff Lurie, Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, Sean Mannion and Jalen Hurts are going to do everything they can to make it work here. The Eagles don’t need the cap hit and they don’t need a search for a star receiver. But without assurances from Brown that he really wants to be here and won’t be a problem, you have to explore your options. I still think it’s more likely he’s here than not, but it’s a fluid situation and nothing would surprise me.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: This one is pretty simple to me. If A.J. Brown wants to be here, he will be. If he wants out, he won’t. Typically, most teams should be against giving a player this type of control but this seems like a rare situation. Brown has obviously been frustrated in Philly and that really started at times during the Super Bowl season in 2024. Last season, that frustration started to really show on the field and it was obvious. The best-case scenario is that Brown is able to take a breath and come to the conclusion that he still wants to be here and the Eagles obviously still want him to be here. I just don’t have a lot of faith that is going to happen. And I’m not convinced that the offensive coordinator switch will be enough to keep him either. As we sit here now, the most likely conclusion seems like a post-June 1 trade to spread out the dead cap hit, which means a draft pick for the 2027 draft. Everyone will hope that I’m dead wrong on this one.
Verdict: Goes
Darius Cooper
Roob: Cooper did some good things as the Eagles’ fourth WR after making the team as an undrafted rookie. He didn’t have a target until Week 7 but caught 10 passes for 101 yards over the last two months. It wasn’t a lot, but the way he handled training camp after playing at Tarleton State and the way he performed when he was targeted or off the ball as a blocker was impressive. He looked like he belonged from Day 1. I’m not sure how good Cooper can be, but he’s tough, seems to have reliable hands, is a willing blocker and has nice size at 5-11, 210. He’s also on a cheap undrafted rookie contract so no reason not to bring him back for camp and see just how good he can be. Especially if Brown isn’t here, the Eagles are going to have a lot to figure out at wide receiver. Cooper has a chance to be pretty good.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: From the moment Darius Cooper arrived from FCS school Tarleton State, he acted and played like he belonged. Cooper had a good spring and then had a great training camp, eventually earning his way onto the 53-man roster. His role was limited as a rookie; he caught just 9 passes for 92 yards, but Cooper showed he could play at the NFL level. I’m not sure what Cooper’s ceiling the NFL is exactly but the Eagles should be interested in finding it. All UDFAs sign a three-year contract, so Cooper has two years left on that deal for minimal money. I think he has the chance to be a legitimate receiver in the NFL.
Verdict: Stays
Britain Covey
Roob: I’m not sure why the Eagles cut ties with Covey in the first place after his success as a punt returner in 2023, but they were lucky to get him back, although they did wait too long to get him back on the field to return punts. As a slot receiver, Covey has a nice knack with the ball in his hands, but he’ll never be a high-volume contributor at WR. But there’s certainly no reason not to have him back as a punt returner.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: The Eagles tried Jahan Dotson and Xavier Gipson as their punt returners early in 2025 but things settled down once Covey took back that role after being brought up from the practice squad. Covey still thinks he can be a receiver in the NFL but even if he can’t, having a reliable punt returner is worth a roster spot. Covey, 28, takes his role as a punt returner very seriously and it shows. He puts in a ton of work and even puts in extra time with the other 10 on the field with him. I’m not sure if he’ll ever factor into the receiver position but that’s OK — he’s worth keeping around as a steady return man.
Verdict: Stays
Jahan Dotson
Roob: Dotson played 1,467 snaps the last two years but had just 75 targets and 40 catches to show for it, which is ridiculous. Dotson did his best when the ball came his way, but it never seemed to go his way. He handled the last two years like a pro, but this is a former 1st-round pick who had two years as a starter with Washington and he’s going to want to go somewhere where he can get a legit opportunity to play. Hasn’t happened here, and even with a new play caller I can’t imagine he would want to stay.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: The Eagles had to give up a third-round pick before the 2024 season (there was also a late-round pick swap) to acquire Jahan Dotson from the Commanders. And he just wasn’t very productive in his two seasons with the Eagles, although it never felt like it was entirely his fault. This passing offense had A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert; there weren’t many targets left over for Dotson. He was the least productive receiver in the NFL over the past two years, but he never pouted about his lack of targets and came through with a huge catch early in Super Bowl LIX. Dotson is now a free agent and it’s best if he moves on.
Verdict: Goes
Danny Gray
Roob: Gray spent the last couple months of the season on the practice squad, and he was once a 3rd-round pick of the 49ers so you figure there’s something there, but he hasn’t played since 2022 with the Niners and he has just one career reception so the odds of him being able to carve out a role four years later with the Eagles are minimal.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: The former 49ers third-round pick has some talent but it just hasn’t worked out for him in the NFL. He got hurt early in training camp last year and then ended up spending part of the 2025 season on the practice squad. Could Danny Gray end up making the roster with a really impressive training camp? It’s possible. But it seems more likely he’ll end up back on the practice squad.
Verdict: Goes
DeVonta Smith
Roob: Obviously, he’s not going anywhere, the question is whether he’ll be WR2 again behind A.J. or WR1. There’s no question Smith can handle being a WR1. He’s proven over his five seasons here that he’s as good as anybody, he just hasn’t gotten the volume of targets of some WRs. In his five NFL seasons, Smith ranks 17th in the NFL in targets but 11th in yards and 13th in catches, and that tells you this is a guy who’s made the most of his opportunities. If Brown is no longer here, there’s no doubt in my mind Smith can be a 1,300- or 1,400-yard receiver. He’s that good. We see it every Sunday.
Verdict: Stays
Dave: DeVonta Smith got off to a really hot start in 2025 before his production cooled a bit. He still had his third-career 1,000-yard season and proved as reliable as ever. He had another big performance in the playoff game with 8 catches for 70 yards. Depending on what happens with A.J. Brown this offseason, Smith might need to be the Eagles’ No. 1 receiver again for the first time since his rookie season back in 2021. There’s no doubt he’d be up for that challenge. For most of his career, Smith has been underutilized and the last few years, he has played second-fiddle to Brown. If Smith has to be the No. 1 this season, there’s no doubt he’d be successful.
Verdict: Stays
Quez Watkins
Roob: The Eagles quietly brought their 2020 6th-round pick back to the practice squad a few weeks into the season, and although he never got a chance to play he is a potentially interesting possibility if Brown isn’t back. It’s been long time since his excellent 2021 season (43-for-647), but he still has that speed and if he could ever put the drops and fumbles behind him maybe he could once again be a dangerous deep threat. It’s a long shot, but I actually wouldn’t mind seeing him in training camp this summer to see how far he’s come since he last played in 2023.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: The Eagles quietly brought Watkins back to their practice squad this season but he didn’t see any game action. Watkins is 27 now and hasn’t played in a regular season game since the 2023 season with the Eagles. While Watkins wasn’t the most popular Eagle at the end of his first stint in Philly, he was a very good sixth-round pick back in 2020. It’s unlikely he’ll be back on the 53-man roster this year but never say never.
Verdict: Goes
Johnny Wilson
Roob: Wilson missed all of the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on his knee and ankle after he got hurt at a training camp practice. He was actually having a good camp and with his blocking ability and size has a unique skill set. If Wilson is healthy and doesn’t show any lingering effects of the injury he could work his way back into the mix in the WR room. The Eagles liked him enough to draft him in the sixth round in 2024 and even though he was only 5-for-38 receiving as a rookie he played 369 snaps because he was such a force as a blocker. Wilson has a chance, but I think it’s more likely the Eagles go in a different direction.
Verdict: Goes
Dave: Before suffering knee and ankle injuries during training camp practice last summer, Johnny Wilson seemed to have solidified his spot on the Eagles’ 53-man roster. But those were serious injuries that kept him out for all of the 2025 season, his second in the NFL. We have to see how a healthy Wilson looks this summer but the Eagles missed Wilson’s ability as a blocker in the offense. The 6-foot-6, 228-pound receiver has to prove he’s healthy, but if he does, I think he’s back on the team.
Verdict: Stays