We had concerns about John Metchie III entering week three. He had made no real impact in any of his previous games this preseason, and with other guys like Robert Woods and Aiden Hutchinson starting to make noise, it seemed like Metchie may be on the short list of guys to be released. Then the New York Giants game to town.
The Giants, who were the 27th-best defense in 2023, only got worse it seems over the offseason. At least on defense. The focus was to better support Daniel Jones on offense, and that was where a lot of the moves were centered around. The defense suffered in part. They still have some good players on the unit, but they're becoming more and more likely to be traded, instead of being used as building blocks for future success.
So Metchie had the best opportunity in the world to feast come Saturday against the Giants. That's exactly what the third-year receiver did. He caught six passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, all on limited action and with Case Keenum throwing him the ball. Whether you think Keenum is the second or third-best quarterback on the Houston Texans is your business, but Keenum isn't a guy who pushes opposing defenses to their limits. He throws a lot of underneath stuff. So for Metchie to produce the way he did with Keenum as his quarterback says a lot about Metchie's outing.
One good game doesn't mean he's out of the woods just yet. Woods didn't impress as a pass-catcher but did have strong marks as a blocker (61.4 as a run blocker according to PFF), and Hutchinson did make the most out of his limited outing. He caught two passes for 20 yards. So the fight for the final few receiver positions is far from over.
Metchie hasn't secured anything just yet, but the conversation is no longer a two-man race.
