The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off their Super Bowl defense season with a 27-24 divisional win over the rival Dallas Cowboys. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Jalen Hurts had a heck of a day, Jalen Carter was ejected before the first snap (he’ll be back for Week 2), and Philly’s high-priced wideouts didn’t see much action.
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A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith make up about 10 percent of Philly’s salary cap in 2025, yet they combined for just four targets, four receptions, and 24 yards against the Cowboys. The production was disappointing, but it was the lack of targets that had many fantasy managers fretting.
But it was just one game, and one game can’t create a trend or a pattern. So we’ll have to wait and see how things progress with this run-heavy offense. For what it’s worth, four-time First-Team All-Pro Rob Gronkowski doesn’t think anyone, including the wideouts themselves, should worry about the lack of looks for those two wideouts, as it was likely due to the game plan and matchup at hand.
“Coach Sirianni is a wonderful coach, and he comes up with these game plans on a weekly basis. And that’s why he’s a great coach,” Gronkowski said on an episode of Up & Adams.
“Because he comes up with game plans that they need to succeed against that given team that they’re playing that week. So sometimes the wide receivers for the Philadelphia Eagles won’t be incorporated into the game plan as much because it might be more of a running game,” he added.
Gronk mentioned that the Eagles will often run a rushing-centric game plan because they have Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts in the backfield, both among the best rushers at their positions. Still, the game plan will inevitably swing back to the passing game at some point, which is why Gronk isn’t worried about Week 1’s production through the air.
“But I can tell you this, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown your number is gonna be called. And when it is called, be ready to make those plays, and that will make the Philadelphia Eagles that much more dominant as well, is when these wide receivers do get incorporated into the offense and get used the right way how they should be used.”
Gronkowski emphasized, however, that when the team is able to run the ball and win a game that way, receivers should not be complaining. The win is what it’s all about at the end of the day.
Last year, Smith had six games in the regular season with 4 or fewer receptions, but he also had four with 7+. In that same vein, Brown had five 100-yard games, but he also had three games with under 45 yards. In the playoffs, Brown had a combined three receptions for 24 yards in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds. But then, he had six catches for 96 yards and a score in the Eagles’ NFC Championship Game.
With Sirianni’s offense, it clearly comes and goes with these Eagles wideouts. However, Justin Herbert picked that Kansas City Chiefs secondary apart in Week 1 while the Chargers struggled to run. We wouldn’t be surprised if Brown and Smith both have big games in the Week 2 Super Bowl LIX rematch.
