Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown may not be thrilled with his role in a slow individual start to the season. After Sunday’s 31-25 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which he caught just two passes for 7 yards, the star wideout posted a cryptic Bible verse that seemed to imply he felt unwelcome in Philadelphia. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not question Brown’s commitment to the team after his latest quiet performance, however.
The two-catch day marked Brown’s third game in four weeks with fewer than 30 yards. He is on pace to record career-low marks in receptions, yards and touchdowns. His seven targets per game would also be the fewest since his rookie year.
“Obviously A.J. is very important to this football team,” Sirianni said on Monday. “I know he wants to contribute and do the things that he’s capable of doing. He wants to contribute into these wins, and he’s had a couple of games where he hasn’t been able to for different reasons. But I question nothing about his desire to play great football, his desire to be a good teammate, his desire to be here.”
Eagles’ A.J. Brown posts cryptic message after another quiet game: ‘If you’re not welcomed, quietly withdraw’
Jordan Dajani
Brown’s modest production has not been a hindrance to the Eagles, who are off to a 4-0 start for the third time in four years. The team may not be inclined to make massive adjustments to its offensive game plan given its success, but considering Brown has been an integral part of Philadelphia’s dominance throughout his career (and that the franchise is paying him to do so), the Eagles have just about every reason to keep him involved.
“I always talk to him,” said Sirianni. “He’s somebody I talk to on a daily basis. I try to reach out to all our guys on a daily basis and won’t get into any private conversations that we have with any of the players about any topic. That’s a sacred relationship between a head coach and players and we’ll always keep that private.”
Brown declined to speak in the locker room after Sunday’s win but spoke with reporters last week about the inconsistencies of the offense so far this season.
“I was saying, ‘Let’s not continue to hit our head on the wall and see if it’s gonna work,'” Brown said when discussing the offense. “Let’s mix it up and do what we need to do. That’s what I mean.”
It is not just Brown who is struggling to leave his mark on the offense, either. Superstar running back Saquon Barkley has yet to run for more than 88 yards in a game and ranks 42nd out of 48 NFL ballcarriers in yards per carry at 3.1. Quarterback Jalen Hurts did not throw his first touchdown pass until Week 3 and has just one game with more than 152 passing yards.
“We have to help him (Barkley) out as well, get the passing game going to help the run game,” Brown said last week. “Last year, it was kind of like the opposite. So now we have to do the opposite. We gotta take advantage of what he have.”
The confusing offensive output did not stop the Eagles from defeating multiple Super Bowl contenders in the opening quarter of the season. Wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers headline their 4-0 start.
