Who Should I Start? Kyle Philips or Ja'Corey Brooks

Tuesday, February 18, 8:54 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed free-agent wide receiver Kyle Philips to an undisclosed deal on Tuesday. Philips, a former fifth-round selection by the Tennessee Titans in 2022 out of UCLA will head to the AFC West after spending all of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022 and 2023, he caught only 23 of 35 targets for 259 yards and no touchdowns in 13 games played (no starts). The 25-year-old pass-catcher also saw time on special teams as a kickoff and punt returner, which will probably be his best path to a roster spot with the Raiders. Philips will be reuniting with his old head coach at UCLA in Chip Kelly, who is now the Raiders' offensive coordinator under new head coach Pete Carroll. Philips's familiarity with Kelly won't guarantee him a roster spot out of training camp, though.

Saturday, August 9, 12:32 AM

Washington Commanders wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks led the team in receiving in their first preseason game against the Patriots, catching all five targets for 59 yards. The 2025 undrafted free agent stepped in to play the majority of the second half and made the most of his opportunity. Brooks, a former five-star recruit out of high school, played at Alabama before transferring to Louisville for a season. He has good size at 6'2", 190 pounds, and posted over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in his final collegiate season. However, his poor athletic testing dragged him down in the draft process. With the Terry McLaurin contract situation and the state of the Commanders' receiver room, there is an opportunity for Brooks to make the roster as the sixth receiver. He'll need to continue to stack positive days at practice as well as produce when the lights come on for him to have a chance.