Former NFC East Rivals React to Eagles Trade for John Metchie

A pair of former NFC East rivals had good things to say about the Philadelphia Eagles trade, which landed them former second-round pick John Metchie III in exchange for tight end Harrison Bryant and Day 3 pick swaps on Sunday.

Justin Tuck Questions Why Teams Help the Eagles

First, former New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck asked, "Why do teams just keep helping the Eagles?" when he saw the trade news posted by NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.

Dez Bryant Defends Metchie’s Talent and Upside

When a fan named Nick Sarnelli commented to Tuck, "Eagles got a guy who hasn’t been good in the NFL," wondering if Tuck's comment was sarcasm, a former Cowboys wide receiver joined the conversation.

Dez Bryant.

Bryant posted to the fan: "You clearly don't know football."

Why Dez Thinks Philadelphia Got a Steal

The former Cowboys star explained that Metchie dealt with health issues early in his career that forced him to miss his entire rookie season, battling acute promyelocytic leukemia. After missing a year, the Texans added more talent at the wide receiver position, which forced Metchie further down the line.  During his two seasons in Houston, he managed 40 catches for 412 yards and one touchdown.

Metchie’s Alabama Connection to DeVonta Smith

Outside of his talent, which made him the 44th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Bryant mentions his familiarity with Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, whom he played with at Alabama.

(Note: Hurts and Metchie did not play together at Alabama, but he did play with Smith during the 2019 season)

He mentions the Eagles playing MUT, which is a reference to Madden Ultimate Team (MUT), a game mode within the Madden NFL video game series.

We will see how the Eagles intend to use Metchie, if this means another trade could be happening, or if A.J. Brown's hamstring injury is more of a concern than the team originally thought.

We'll have plenty of coverage on The Sports Bash starting at 2 pm on 97.3 ESPN and the free mobile app.