A.J. Brown is right that the Philadelphia Eagles need to fix their offense.
His constant complaining isn’t helping the situation, though.
Brown has made it clear through cryptic posts on social media and public comments that he’s not happy with his role.
It hasn’t been a distraction to the team — yet.
There was drama surrounding Brown last season when veteran pass rusher Brandon Graham said on his radio show that Brown and Jalen Hurts had a damaged relationship. It didn’t stop the Eagles from winning the Super Bowl.
And, they’ve continued winning.
The Eagles are 7-2. They beat the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Vikings and Packers on the road. They beat the Rams at home. All were impressive victories. Some were ugly. But wins are wins. They’re in position to become the first NFC East team to win consecutive division titles in two decades.
But the goal in Philadelphia is to repeat. Anything less than another Super Bowl parade on Broad Street wouldn’t be considered a success.
That’s why Brown is frustrated. He sees the offense underachieving. He knows it won’t be good enough to win important games in January unless the Eagles can get on track.
“It’s not that I don’t care about winning, all I care about is stats, no,” Brown told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s been week after week sometimes we’re not contributing, we’re not doing our job on offense. You can’t just keep slapping a Band-Aid over that if you expect to win later in the year. You think you’re just going to go to it at the end of the year? It’s not going to. … happen. It’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen.
“Last year, what it was, thank you for the ring, but it’s a new season. They adapted. We have to adapt and we have to continue to get better and find new ways. That’s where the frustration comes in. Because it’s not about winning, you guys. I want to win, yes. I want to help contribute as well. Do our thing on offense as well. I think that’s fair.”
Brown only has 31 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns. He has caught one or two passes in three of the eight games he’s played. Brown is an elite receiver who has been a second-team All-Pro three straight seasons. Hurts and first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo simply have to find ways to get him more involved in the offense.
Playmakers need the football.
“A.J. Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, so of course we’re trying to get him involved in the game every single time,” Sirianni said. “Sometimes, it goes like it did in the Rams game or the Vikings game and sometimes it goes like it did in this last game.”
Hurts is super cautious as a passer. He’s only thrown one interception. He prefers safe throws. He doesn’t give Brown as many one-on-one, 50-50 opportunities as he’d like. It’s hard to blame Hurts. The Eagles are winning games and winning the turnover battle is a big reason for their success.
Hurts did throw an ill-advised deep ball to Brown on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 35 with 33 seconds left in a 10-7 game on Monday night. Coach Nick Sirianni insisted he called the play even though players indicated Hurts and Brown changed it.
“I think it’s fair for me to even say that we do need to do a better job of creating for me, trying to help put me in situations to help to contribute,” Brown said. “But right now, it just feels as if I’m just freeing it up for everybody.”
While Brown’s production has decreased, DeVonta Smith has stepped into the No. 1 wideout role. He has 48 receptions for 657 yards and three TDs.
Overall, the Eagles are 25th in the NFL in passing offense and 21st in the run. That’s been the biggest surprise because Saquon Barkley set an NFL record with 2,504 yards rushing in the regular season and playoffs in 2024. This season, he’s averaging just 3.9 yards per carry, down from 5.8.
The offensive line isn’t opening up the same running lanes and Philadelphia’s inability to have success on the ground has had a negative affect on the passing attack.
The Eagles have a huge test on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions (6-3). They face the Bears (6-3), Chargers (7-3) and Bills (6-3) over the final seven games.
Brown and Barkley have to get going for the Eagles to have a chance to repeat.
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