Replacing A.J. Brown was never going to be as simple as plugging in another name into the Philadelphia Eagles‘ lineup and pretending nothing changed. We’re all assuming Brown leaves, of course, but let’s think about the first statement for a second. No one who has ever watched football would believe that.
Brown’s departure, whenever it officially arrives, leaves behind more than production. It creates a leadership void, a physical mismatch void, and perhaps most importantly, a target hierarchy question inside Philadelphia’s passing game, outside of DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, of course. Former NFL wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh may have offered an interesting answer. It’s certainly one that most interested Eagles fans would have no problem agreeing with.
Is the real question Eagles question about who starts, or who earns trust first?
During a recent episode of Speakeasy, the longtime NFL receiver discussed Philadelphia’s wide receiver room and floated a thought many Eagles fans may find compelling. While he praised the overall depth of the group, he made it clear the offense should now belong to DeVonta Smith.
“It’s DeVonta Smith… Then it’s everyone else. The receiver-by-committee CAN’T WORK. You have to have a go-to guy!”
– @Housh84 weighs in on the STACKED Eagles’ wide receiver room and what their game plan should be
WE’RE LIVE NOW ➡️ https://t.co/jusxBV8GZCpic.twitter.com/Om5bn8M0XJ
— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) May 22, 2026
Honestly? Almost everything he says feels obvious, except for maybe Wicks being the second-best wide receiver on the team. Smith has earned the distinction as a true WR1, but Houshmandzadeh raises a more interesting point centered on the pecking order behind him.
Let’s imagine for a second that he’s right and Dontayvion Wicks is indeed Philadelphia’s second-best wide receiver right now from a pure talent and readiness standpoint. First-round rookie Makai Lemon will almost certainly be viewed as the WR2 because of draft investment and organizational expectations.
Maybe the debate begins there. It’s hard to say a rookie who has never played a snap is better than an established older veteran who is already familiar with the offensive coordinator, but Lemon’s ceiling is higher than Wicks’ is, and few teams trade up into the top ten for a receiver at a position of need just to stash him on the bench. That seems a fantasy.
Makai Lemon is going to play. He’s probably going to play a lot, but there’s a meaningful difference between projected upside and proven NFL readiness. Wicks already knows Sean Mannion. Marquise Brown brings veteran speed and experience. Lemon, while immensely talented, hasn’t played an NFL snap.
So maybe Houshmandzadeh’s question isn’t really about who starts. Maybe it’s about who Jalen Hurts trusts most when the game matters, because if Smith becomes the unquestioned lead dog, the Eagles don’t necessarily need Lemon to immediately become A.J. Brown. They just need someone else to consistently win, and if Wicks does that first, Eagles fans may not care what the preseason depth chart says.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: TJ Houshmandzadeh questions Eagles pecking order behind Devonta Smith