A.J. Brown is a hard man to keep satisfied and smiling. The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-2, but to hear him tell it, they’re on the brink of collapse. And while he’s never said it explicitly, he believes the offense is struggling because of its quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
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The Athletic’s Diana Russini, who is known for a lot of salacious reports based on anonymous sources (so take this info with a grain of salt), has also reported that others apart from Brown on the offense are frustrated with Hurts’ risk-averse approach this season. Those people in the building think Hurts’ playing it safe too often, specifically against zone coverage.
This growing chatter has escalated to the point where even veterans like Brandon Graham, who came out of retirement to support the Eagles at the edge rusher spot after injuries piled up, feel the need to weigh in on these unnecessary storylines.
On his podcast, Graham said that it’s always hard to balance work and the outside noise that you hear from fans, family, and especially the media.
“It ain’t easy for Nick [Sirianni], it ain’t easy for J [Jalen Hurts], it ain’t easy even for A.J. [Brown]. Because he’s gotta deal with the stuff he wants to get done, the outside noise that he hears every day. We all gotta manage what we deal with on the outside,” Graham said, adding,
“We gotta be professional at the end of the day. We can’t let sometimes, stuff that’s going on be louder than what’s going on at work.”
More than just current teammates, even Eagles legends are commenting on the team’s locker room issues. DeSean Jackson, who says he’s very close with A.J. Brown, says that the rift between Brown and Hurts goes deeper than football.
“It’s something else going on. I got a great relationship with [AJ]. I respect him. I can’t say it. But I know it’s something else going on. It’s not all about football. It’s not all about Xs and Os. I’ve had ‘situationships’ with quarterbacks I didn’t necessarily like. And when it ain’t there, it sticks out like a sore thumb. That’s all I’m gonna say.”
Worrying stuff. It has been posited that Hurts’ overly serious demeanor since that Super Bowl loss in 2022 has not just led to success on the field, but has caused fissures in the relationships he used to have with his teammates.
Brown is not producing as much, but he’s pretty much seeing the same amount of work as he did last year. In 2024, he averaged 7.46 targets and 5.15 receptions per game. This season, it’s 7.22 targets and 4.22 receptions per game. A drop off in production for sure, but not one you’d think would get a professional that worked up.
And at 66.5 yards a game, his partner in crime, DeVonta Smith, is actually putting up slightly bigger numbers than he did last year. RB Saquon Barkley is the one who’s actually seen the biggest drop-off in touches and production. But for some reason, you don’t see him whining about it publicly on a weekly basis.
Hurts’ overly cautious approach and excessive checking down have resulted in an 8-2 record, the most potent red zone offense in football (75 percent TD rate), and an NFL-low four turnovers. And Hurts has thrown just one interception.
Brown says that the Eagles can’t keep putting defensive band-aids over the team’s offensive issues. The offense admittedly could be better, but it’s a bit greedy to expect your team to have a top-five offense and a top-five defense every season.
Right now, Philly’s defense is doing the heavy lifting, and the offense is scoring efficiently. This team definitely has the talent to flip that if they need. But if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?
