A.J. Brown is not quite ready to be on his way — out of Philadelphia, at least — no matter his cryptic posts on social media after the Eagles’ passing attack was absent in yet another win.
Just ask his coach.
“I question nothing about his desire to play great football, his desire to be a good teammate, his desire to be here,” Nick Sirianni said Monday.
Perhaps, but Brown made his unhappiness clear enough after the five-time 1,000-yard receiver was held to two catches for 7 yards as the Eagles beat Tampa Bay on Sunday to move to 4-0. He had just five catches for 27 yards in the Super Bowl rematch against Kansas City and all of one catch — his only target of the game — for 8 yards in the season opener against Dallas.
All this for a player the Eagles signed to a three-year contract extension that included $84 million guaranteed ahead of last season.
Brown has been irked about his production — rather, his lack of it — this season and hasn’t been shy about voicing his need for a bigger role in the offense.
Well, maybe not always voicing. How about posting?
Brown did not speak to reporters after the game but took the time to post these lines on social media: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
No, it wasn’t a passage from “Inner Excellence,” the book he’s been known to read on the sideline during games. Rather, Brown quoted a Bible verse.
“If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
That was enough to pique Sirianni’s interest on Monday and prompt the coach to reach out to Brown.
Everything cool?
“Obviously talked to him,” Sirianni said. “Somebody I talk to on a daily basis. I try to reach out to all our guys on a daily basis. I won’t get into any private conversations that we have with any players about any topic. That’s a sacred relationship between the head coach and players. We’ll always keep that private, but always in constant communication with all these guys.”
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Brown and DeVonta Smith had four combined catches for 36 yards against Tampa Bay. They are just two cogs of the offense who have seen their numbers dip under first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Saquon Barkley, a 2,005-yard rusher a season ago, has failed to crack 100 yards in any of the first four games and was held to 43 against Tampa Bay. He has 237 yards rushing and is averaging 3.1 yards per carry.
He averaged 2.6 yards last week against the Los Angeles Rams and 2.3 yards on Sunday. Barkley had 435 yards rushing and averaged 6 yards a carry through four games last season. Only once last season was he held under 50 yards in a game.
Yes, the offensive line is banged up and teams are primed to stack the box against him, and they’ve also learned some ways to slow him down while reviewing a year’s worth of video.
The Eagles did not complete a pass in the second half against Tampa Bay, the first team since the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas 2023 against the Chiefs to win a game with a zero in that category. Philadelphia’s eight pass attempts without a completion were the second most in a second half in the NFL since 1991.
“We weren’t efficient enough and that’s going to be something that — we’ll do everything we can to make sure we’re playing efficient and in the run and the pass because we know when we do that, good things happen for our offense,” Sirianni said.
Brown said as much when he finished with six catches for 109 yards and Smith had eight catches for 60 yards against the Rams.
“We’ve got so many good players on this team,” Brown said. “At times, you can feel we’re being conservative. I don’t think it should be like that. Let your killers do their thing, play fast and play aggressive. I’m not saying that we haven’t been, but me personally, that’s what I would like.”
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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