One of the Philadelphia Eagles' top positions of concern going into training camp was who would be the third wide receiver for quarterback Jalen Hurts to trust outside of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Before training camp, the clear-cut choice would be Jahan Dotson, who is in the final year of his contract with the team. The past week has shown that another person needs to be included in that conversation.
The new darling of training camp in Philly is Elijah Cooks, who had yet another stellar practice in Week 2. Bleeding Green Nation Eagles reporter Brandon Lee Gowton chronicled Cooks' busy day of practice and how he might be in the conversation to take Dotson's job.
"Elijah Cooks was a frequent target on Friday. He made a nice toe-tapping grab along the right sideline. He did have a bad drop after getting wide open in the middle of the field. Really interested to see how Cooks looks in preseason game action. We know he can play receiver. We need to see if he can block and play special teams. At worst, Cooks has been the Eagles’ fourth best receiver this summer. Could make a case for him over Dotson, though the latter will very likely be WR3."
Should Cooks be WR3 over Dotson?
Last year's debut year in the midnight green uniforms was ugly for Dotson. He didn't even make 20 catches, barely was over 200 yards, and didn't catch a touchdown until the postseason, and he played in every regular season game.
The Eagles' faith in Dotson was already kind of low entering training camp after the team passed on picking up the fifth-year team option on his rookie contract. It was clear that Dotson had some work to do during training camp.
Cooks has now gotten two articles written about him in the last week because he continues to impress. His 6-foot-4 height makes him an attractive option to have on the team, especially since their big wide receiver, Johnny Wilson, is not having a great training camp.
This performance is coming out of left field after Cooks has caught just three passes for 38 yards in two games since his rookie season in 2023. He was on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad up until January when he signed with the Eagles.
Yes, Dotson has been a disappointment since joining Philly last year, but it would be hard to believe that he would lose his job to Cooks. The main reason Cooks is getting more opportunities is that Terrace Marshall Jr. got hurt in camp, and Danny Gray also suffered an injury and was released by the team.
Good for Cooks for making the most of his reps as Eagles fans hope to see plenty of that in preseason. The battle for WR3 should still go to Dotson, but Cooks is making a convincing argument to make the 53-man roster and be WR4.
