Philadelphia Eagles: A.J. Brown seems to really love being an Eagle

When the Philadelphia Eagles failed to come away from free agency with a big-time upgrade at wide receiver, it led to more than a few detractors of the team’s QB1 to make a bold declaration: Jalen Hurts was keeping the good free agents away.

The thought process, at least in the eyes of these fans, went a little something like this; Hurts, despite his talents as a rusher, was not a very good passer in 2021, and no premier wide receiver would ever want to waste years of their career catching wobbly passes from the guy who lost his job at Alabama to Tua Tagovailoa, who himself doesn’t exactly have a reputation for pass-throwing excellence.

Now granted, this thought process is sort of bunk, as Hurts isn’t the one handing out contracts, and after his preferred trade target, Calvin Ridley, was suspended for the year for sports betting, Howie Roseman wasn’t exactly lining up to give out big money to the likes of Allen Robinson, but hey, why let the facts get in the way of a good narrative?

Fortunately, the Eagles ultimately did get their guy, and none other than A.J. Brown, the self-proclaimed best wide receiver in Tennessee Titans history, now appears very happy indeed to be catching passes from his long-time friend Jalen Hurts.

A.J. Brown has nothing but good things to say about the Philadelphia Eagles.

If you made it out to Lincoln Financial Field for the Philadelphia Eagles’ open practice, or simply watched back the many highlights posted all over social media – Jordan Davis is one bad dude – you probably caught the play that everyone is talking about from 11-on-11s: A.J. Brown’s diving touchdown on a laser beam from Jalen Hurts.

While some have criticized the practice nature of the play, claiming the ball would have been picked off, and others have knocked Brown specifically for laying out for a “touchdown” at practice, for Mr. 1K Always Open, the play was an in-the-moment reaction to the energy coming his way from the 30,000 some fans in attendance, as he detailed during his subsequent media availability.

"“Diving, making the plays for the ball; I don’t dive in practice. You know, that’s a rule; you don’t never dive in practice, but you know, it felt so game-like with the fans in there; they were showing love, I was feeling the energy, I felt like I was in game mode."

Inspiring stuff, right? But wait, it gets better, as Brown tweeted out himself after the fun was done.

Goodness gracious, factor in Brown’s other interactions on social media and the genuine enthusiasm he brought to his introductory press conference, and it’s starting to feel like the Mississippi State product might really like being an Eagle after all.

Right now, everything is good in the Philadelphia Eagles’ universe. The team is undefeated, every new addition is a home run, and everyone definitely took a step forward heading into a season with Charles Dickens-level self-imposed standards. Will reality sink in, and all of the hype come crashing down to the cruel harshness of a tangible win-loss record? More likely than not, yes; but for now, A.J. Brown has nothing but love for his new team, and clearly, that feeling is mutual.