No, the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t going to land Antonio Brown (sorry)
Welp, it’s official: Antonio Brown is no longer a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While this move may come as a bit of a surprise to some, as Brown was declared “no longer on the team” dating back to his weird, shirtless showcase at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Bruce Arians and company officially made it official on Thursday afternoon, subjecting the injured receiver to the waiver wire heading into Week 18.
That’s right, after some speculated that the Bucs could send Brown to IR in order to avoid subjecting him to the open market, the team opted instead for a clean break, likely due in no small part to the receipts the player brought to light suggesting the team wanted him to play with bone fragments in his ankle. Because he was technically waived in Week 18 any team could claim him and theoretically play him in the postseason – listing to Ian Rapoport explain more here – making Brown one of the more interesting waiver wire players in recent memory.
As the most likely Wildcard round foe of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Philadelphia Eagles would surely be one of those teams who would at least consider putting in a claim for the uniquely talented wide receiver, right? Even if he’s expected to undergo ankle surgery soon by his own admission, getting some insight into the Bucs’ strategies would be worth his paycheck, right? That theory, initially presented by Eliot Shorr-Parks, is certainly creative, but between you and me, I really don’t see it happening.
The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t going to go full-on AB for the Wildcard round.
Alright, let’s get this out of the way right from the jump: Antonio Brown is toxic at the moment.
His antics versus the New York Jets drew all of the worst types of attention, his back and forth with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surely didn’t help his case, and if he were to sign/get waiver wire claimed by some team, there’s no telling as to whether or not he’d land on the commissioner’s exempt list in lieu of a suspension for conduct detrimental to the league.
Now, in ESP’s theory of the case, none of that particularly matters, as he’s more interested in gathering intel than securing an offensive boost, but I digress.
Then comes the matter of Brown’s injured ankle, which is reportedly so bad he could have surgery in the not too distant future. Again, if you don’t want him to play, who cares, but if an on-field upgrade is a goal of securing the seven-time All-Star’s services, which it might be for a team like the Dallas Cowboys who just lost Michael Gallup, Brown probably won’t help you there either.
Okay, so if Brown’s chances of taking the field are slim and his presence on a team is controversial, to say the least, how about that intel he could provide? As Shorr-Parks pointed out, $6,000 is a small price to pay for some good old fashion insider info.
For some teams, it very well might be but remember, the Philadelphia Eagles played the Buccaneers back in Week 6, when they were a much deeper team not yet ravished by injuries and Brown’s release. They know how their offense runs, how their defense is built and will surely be prepared for the Wildcard round should they ultimately be the team’s opponent. Even if Brown could provide some insight on trick plays or audibles, is that really worth the negative pressure and potential internal stress such a move could provide? Considering the Eagles hadn’t even secured a playoff spot yet when Brown stormed off the field, I doubt the Buccaneers’ coaching staff had put too much time into specifically scheming for the Eagles, let alone passing that info on to their players.
Between you and me, I wouldn’t do it, and based on his track record, I doubt Howie Roseman would either.
The Philadelphia Eagles offense isn’t plug-and-play. Nick Sirianni asks his wide receivers to do a lot of blocking, and he doesn’t really rotate in players in the same way as his predecessors, with his top four pass-catching targets lionizing the vast majority of the offensive snaps in any given game. While the rookie head coach could write up an Antonio Brown package a la his offensive usage of Darius Slay, it feels like this one is the longest of long shots.