Who Should I Start? Kyle Philips or John Metchie III

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, January 11, 8:18 PM

Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III was the second option in the Houston passing offense on Saturday, catching four passes for 28 yards in a 32-12 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Alabama product was targeted eight times, which tied receiver Nico Collins for the most on the team, but brought in only half of them. With Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) both out for the season, Houston has yearned for another receiver to get in the mix behind Collins, and Metchie seemed to be the preferred next man up on Saturday. The victory assured Houston will have at least one more game with a Divisional Round date to be decided.