Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown’s troubles connecting on the field have yet to blow into a family feud inside the locker room — honest, both Philadelphia Eagles stars said.
Between Hurts and Brown, it’s all good in Philly.
“Me and Jalen are good,” Brown said.
Added Hurts, “We’re good, we’re good.”
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So there will be no sit-ups in the driveway, no apologies on the front lawn, and certainly, it seems, no rift between Hurts and his No. 1 receiver.
Hurts and Brown each downplayed any hint of a fissure Wednesday between the two after defensive end Brandon Graham appeared this week on a Philadelphia sports radio station and suggested there was friction between the Pro Bowl duo. The two were close friends long before they became teammates and Hurts is the godfather for Brown’s daughter.
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Graham’s comments — in which he noted “things have changed,” between the two, without offering specifics — exploded into tabloid and fan fodder this week in Philadelphia. His insinuations that the duo were not on the same page came on the heels of Brown’s quote after a sluggish win over Carolina that the “offense” wasn’t playing up to standard, even with the Eagles at 11-2.
“BG knows he spoke out of place,” Hurts said.
Graham, who is sidelined with a triceps injury, clarified his comments later to an ESPN reporter, saying he made the wrong assumption about the relationship between Hurts and Brown and planned to apologize to both players.
Brown, with 109 yards receiving combined the last two games, said his beef with the offense wasn’t directed at Hurts. It was everything from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s playcalling to execution to all the ingredients in a successful offense that make a team a Super Bowl contender.
The usually pass-happy Eagles have leaned more on running back Saquon Barkley, who set the franchise season rushing record of 1,623 yards against the Panthers and is chasing Eric Dickerson for the NFL mark.
“Obviously, it’s not about running the ball,” Brown told reporters. “He’s about to win MVP. Clearly. What other things can we do on offense? We have to pass the ball. That can go into protection, that can go into picking up the block, that goes to us getting open quicker. Getting on the same page.”
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Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he never witnessed any issues between Hurts and Brown and only saw two players who worked hard together, even working on routes after practice and seemed to have a deep personal connection on and off the field.
“You guys get to see three hours every Sunday where emotions can play as high as they’re going to play,” Sirianni said. “I get to see these guys every single day, how they go about their business and interact with each other.”
Brown, who was coming off consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, wasn’t necessarily wrong in his frustration with the recent stagnation of the passing game.
Hurts, who signed a contract extension ahead of the 2023 season that was worth $179.3 million guaranteed, has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in three straight games. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith — who also complained Sunday about the offense — was also coming off consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons but has yet to break 100 yards in a game this season. Brown has four 100-yard games, well off last season’s run when he topped 100 yards in six straight games and seven times overall.
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Hurts has been more efficient than explosive this season but has still thrown 12 touchdown passes to just one interception — and rushed for 11 more scores — during the Eagles’ nine-game winning streak that has them on the brink of clinching the NFC East.
Maybe playing the Steelers on Sunday at home can snap the Eagles out of their offensive malaise. Hurts threw three TD passes to Brown in a 35-13 win in 2022.
“Do we all have things to get better at in the passing game? Yeah, I think that’s obvious,” Sirianni said. “I think that’s what we’ve been talking about. We all have things that we’ve got to get better at, coaches, players. But this is why this is the greatest team sport there is. It takes everybody. It takes every single person being together, every single person for the success to happen. It’s just not a one-person thing.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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