Maybe we’ve been looking at this all wrong.

Maybe the answer to the question, “Who’ll be the Eagles’ No. 3 receiver,” is actually … everybody.

Conventional wisdom says there’s competition right now in Eagles training camp for that WR3 position, with veterans Parris Campbell and John Ross the top candidates.

But Nick Sirianni raised an interesting possibility Thursday before open practice at the Linc.

Third receiver doesn’t have to be one person. It can be anybody depending on the opponent, the defense, the situation, the down and distance, you name it.

“When you have a receiving corps, you’re looking for different skill sets so you can run different styles of plays, get the guys the ball different ways,” Sirianni said. “As far as the No. 3 receiver, I mean, it can be a lot of different things, but you need different types of skill sets, and I’m really excited about the skill sets we have at the No. 3 receiver.

“It doesn’t have to be all from one guy. It can be Johnny Wilson’s blocking, Parris Campbell’s ability to run with the ball in his hands and do different things with the ball in his hands, could be John Ross’ speed. So you’re looking for different things on different plays. Could be Britain Covey’s ability in the slot. Not one person has to fill the role of anything.”

Philadelphia Eagles

The skeptic would say Sirianni is saying all this because he doesn’t think there’s currently a reliable third receiver on the roster. And that’s a fair point.

But this philosophy actually goes hand-in-hand with the way new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore likes to run his scheme.

The Eagles have struggled the last couple years trying to nail down that third receiver, with Quez Watkins, Zach Pascal and Olamide Zaccheaus.

Tight end Dallas Goedert has been the Eagles’ de facto third receiver the last few years, and the only third wide receivers the Eagles have had with 600 yards in a season in the last 20 years are Jason Avant in 2011 and 2012 and Quez Watkins in 2021.

But Moore has always loved spreading the ball around to more than just two or three receivers. In his offenses, if you’re active on game day, he’s most likely going to find a role for you.

In 2019, his first year as Cowboys offensive coordinator, the Cowboys were one of only seven teams with four guys with 500 yards, and in both 2020 and 2021 they were the only NFL team with four guys who had 600 yards. Even last year, in his one year with the Chargers, they were one of only three NFL teams that had three guys with at least 400 yards.

That’s why Sirianni’s remarks about the third receiver competition actually make sense. Because this has been a hallmark of Moore’s offenses.

Which means – depending who makes the final 53-man roster – the Eagles’ third receiver could be Ross or Campbell, it could be Grant Calcaterra, it could be Saquon Barkley or Kenny Gainwell, it could be Covey.

You’ll just never know.

Being predictable was a huge issue for the offense, especially the last month and a half of the season.

And if we don’t know what the offense is going to look like from week to week or even series to series or play to play, that means the defense doesn’t know. And that makes the offense less predictable and more dangerous.

“We’re far away from having to play and some games could look different than others,” Sirianni said. “I’m really excited about the depth that we have here at wide receiver position and all the different skill sets that we have.”