The Philadelphia Eagles need wide receivers to step up, and two names are making serious noise at training camp. Dontayvion Wicks and Darius Cooper are emerging as legitimate weapons in the Eagles’ passing game, drawing praise from quarterback Jalen Hurts himself. With DeVonta Smith dealing with an injury and rookie Makai Lemon also banged up, the Eagles’ offense needs depth at receiver more than ever. So far, Wicks and Cooper are answering the call.

Dontayvion Wicks is turning heads

Wicks has been one of the best players at Eagles camp according to the reporters on the ground, and Hurts clearly sees it too. When asked about the receiver, Hurts kept it simple.

“He’s got it,” Hurts said. “He has great work ethic, he’s got great hunger. In the summertime, he was beating down the door trying to spend that time and just work.”

Hurts doesn’t just hand out compliments for the sake of it. When your quarterback is going out of his way to praise a guy’s work ethic and hunger, that means something real is building between them. And from all accounts, Wicks has clearly emerged as the No. 2 wide receiver on this roster right now.

We know there’s a gap at the position. Whether it gets filled by Wicks, by rookie Makai Lemon, or by someone else, somebody has to step up and make it happen. And I go back to what Wicks said a couple of weeks ago in an interview. The receiver is motivated to show everybody he belongs, he earned a spot here.

Wicks came into camp in the best shape of his life, and if he can lock down that No. 2 role and develop real chemistry with Hurts, the Eagles offense is going to be just fine. The opportunity is right there for him. Now he’s got to seize it.

Darius Cooper catches Hurts’ eye

The other name to watch is Cooper, and this one might be even more intriguing. When Hurts was asked which wide receiver had really opened his eyes and emerged during training camp, he singled out Cooper. That’s a strong endorsement, especially when you consider how many options Philadelphia has in that receiver room.

Cooper is being used in the slot and running a lot of short, underneath routes. He’s a guy who can move all around the formation, and we saw flashes of that last year during camp and at certain points in the season. The problem was he never carved out a consistent role. There wasn’t room for him, and he also dealt with injuries that kept him from building any momentum.

If Cooper can stay healthy and build on what he’s showing right now, he gives the Eagles another versatile option in an offense that desperately needs it. Between him and Wicks stepping up, the burden on Smith gets a lot lighter whenever he’s back on the field.