It makes no sense to trade John Metchie III with current contract situations

The Houston Texans have a loaded wide receiver room. They simply gave Nico Collins a massive extension, paying him “receiver one” money. They also traded for Stefon Diggs, a different type of “receiver.” Not to mention they also have a developing star in Tank Dell. That’s not all, as they also have Noah Brown, Robert Woods, Ben Skowronek, Xavier Hutchinson and Joh Metchie III.

The back end of the receiver room isn’t stacked with star talent, but there is talent and potential there. A lot of talent. Lots of talented players and few places in the squad. Finally, some of these names will not appear here. The most likely name that appears to be on his last legs with the team is Woods, as he is older and underperforming in a pretty important season for the team.

He is not the only player to be excluded, at least in the eyes of some. One of the names that has most of the league and fans around the league salivating is Metchie, the 2022 second-round pick out of Alabama. He has a lot of potential, but he missed his rookie season due to illness. Then he found himself behind an incredibly large crop of receivers in 2023, so he didn’t even play much when healthy.

He still has an advantage. He’s largely untested in an actual game, so it’s unfair to declare one way or another whether he’s good enough to start for this team. What we do know is that he will have the opportunity to play for the team. It might not be 2024, but it could be 2025.

With the team committing to Collins long-term, it’s clear they’re not as invested in Diggs long-term as one might have believed right after the trade. So it’s possible that next season the Texans let Diggs go and put Metchie in the lineup alongside Dell and Collins. It’s not a guarantee that Metchie will produce and earn his spot this season or next, but that’s probably the plan.

If that plan comes to fruition with the now third-year receiver actually producing this season, Diggs will be a free agent. Then the team will move forward with the young core of fully drafted receivers. Since this is the most likely scenario, it makes no sense to see the team trade Metchie when Diggs is already over 30 years old and not a long-term option.

I really feel sorry for those hoping Metchie gets traded, but unless he hits rock bottom as a player, we don’t see him moving on.