John Metchie III Reportedly Targeted by 49ers Before Eagles-Texans Trade

The San Francisco 49ers reportedly attempted to bolster their wide receiver depth by trading for John Metchie III, but the Philadelphia Eagles landed him instead.

After ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Eagles acquired Metchie from the Houston Texans on Sunday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the 49ers also tried to trade for the Alabama product. Ultimately, Philadelphia's offer was "better."

That San Francisco was looking for more wide receiver depth is anything but surprising since it is a position of concern this offseason.

Brandon Aiyuk is still working his way back from a significant knee injury he suffered last season, Demarcus Robinson is facing a possible suspension from the NFL, Equanimeous St. Brown is on the season-ending injured reserve list and Jauan Jennings has dealt with a calf injury.

Schefter also reported last month that Jennings was looking for either a trade or a new contract with one year remaining on his deal.

Metchie would be a low-risk, high-reward type of addition at this point of his career. The 2022 second-round pick has been a secondary contributor during each of the last two seasons after he missed his rookie campaign, but it wasn't that long ago he was dominant at Alabama.

He appeared in 13 games last season and finished with 24 catches for 254 yards and one touchdown.

From Philadelphia's perspective, it doesn't have many proven options at wide receiver outside of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Metchie adds some high-ceiling depth as it attempts to win a second straight Super Bowl.