Nine days into Philadelphia Eagles training camp, Saquon Barkley is already singing the praises of one of the team’s newest additions.
Wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who was acquired via trade from the Green Bay Packers during the offseason, has brought a mentality to the Eagles’ group of pass-catchers that has earned Barkley’s admiration.
Dontayvion Wicks Fitting Nicely in Eagles’ WR Room
After trading A.J. Brown to the New England Patriots in June, anything that Wicks can provide to a unit that is undergoing significant renovation would be welcomed. While Brown went out the door, the Eagles traded up in the first round for Makai Lemon, signed Marquise Brown in free agency and swung the April deal for Wicks. Samori Toure and Elijah Moore joined a room that still has Britain Covey, Johnny Wilson and Quez Watkins on it.
Wicks, a former fifth-round pick of the Packers, has consistently flashed elite route-running prowess. So much so that he was giving Barkley, a running back, a few pointers after Thursday’s practice.
“He was teaching me the game, the details that matter,” Barkley told Kay Adams in an appearance on ‘Up & Adams’ after practice. The ninth-year running back appears interested in expanding on his own route-running repertoire, and Wicks is an ideal teacher.
“There was a route I want to be really good at this year, which I will not say, but I want to be really good this year. I watched him run it, and I think he does it at a high level.”
“[Dontayvion Wicks] is a steal… I don’t know how we got him.”
Saquon Barkley LOVES what he’s seeing from the Eagles new WR 📈@Eagles | @saquon | @WicksDontayvion | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/JXUpy5dKHI
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) August 6, 2026
The Eagles sent a 2026 fifth-round selection, originally Atlanta’s at No. 153, and a 2027 sixth-rounder to the Packers for Wicks, then tacked a one-year, $12.5 million extension onto the final season of his rookie deal. He plays 2026 on a $3.6 million number, which makes the draft capital the bargain and the extension the bet, especially if he can step into a premier role alongside Lemon and DeVonta Smith.
“Tay was a steal,” Barkley said. “I don’t like speaking too highly because I don’t want to put too much pressure, but this guy can handle it. I love everything he’s about. Shoutout to Howie [Roseman], I don’t know how we got him for whatever round we traded for him. He just brings a different type of energy for the wide receiver group.
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“Not that he’s just a violent route runner, or violent catching the ball, but he also puts his face in there and blocks at a high level. I’m excited to have him as a teammate this year.”
There’s an answer to Barkley’s question, and it’s sitting in the coaching staff. Sean Mannion, hired in January to run the Eagles offense, spent last season in Green Bay. He knew exactly what Wicks was and what a Shanahan-style scheme could do with him. Wicks has said as much himself, pointing to the relationship he built with Mannion as a reason Philadelphia was willing to bank on him.
Wicks has been a stellar contributor for a fifth-round pick who never consistently cracked the starting lineup. He never cleared a full-time role in his three years with the team, but that says more about the offense Matt LaFleur was running than about Wicks. It’s a unit with a number of different mouths to feed, and every now and then, Wicks would see his fair share of opportunities, but never anything extensive.
The Packers also had the luxury of dependability with Wicks. He appeared in 46 games with 18 starts across three seasons in Green Bay, catching 108 passes for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2025, all of that cratered. A calf injury lingered, a late-season concussion cost him time, and Wicks finished with 30 catches for 332 yards and two touchdowns across 14 games, career lows in every column. Philadelphia is buying the two seasons before that one, and betting the coach who already knows him can get them back.
