The Philadelphia Eagles dropped their third consecutive game. They couldn't get much going on offense against Jesse Minter's physical defense, turning the ball over five times en route to a 22-19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It was nice to see AJ Brown getting more involved. However, despite having six catches for 100 yards, he was targeted a game-high 13 times, and he had multiple miscues and drops. Following the game, he took ownership of those mistakes, claiming that he'd want to get multiple plays back, including a crucial drop in the endzone:
“That one hurt,” Brown said, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I’m more than capable of making those plays. Jalen (Hurts) trusts me in any situation. I made some plays but I wasn’t great when it mattered.”
AJ Brown's Comments Aren't Helping The Eagles
Brown's incendiary comments have been one of the main talking points of the Eagles' season. So, while hearing him take accountability and giving Jalen Hurts some credit is a positive turn of events, he needs to be more consistent.
He's constantly gone back and forth between a 'give me the ball' attitude and then being accountable when getting him involved in the passing game doesn't lead to success. If he were still throwing Hurts under the bus, at least, he'd be consistent with his attitude, and the front office would be able to debate whether he's worth dealing with or not.
Brown made a big deal out of not being involved in the passing game, and not even winning games was enough to appease him. He didn't just want to win; he wanted to be the reason why they won, and wasn't happy when that didn't happen. So, now that he's drawn a season-high 13 targets, just taking accountability won't get it done. He talked the talk, so he now has to walk the walk.
The star pass catcher has drawn double digits in targets in four consecutive games after doing so just once in the season. His team, however, has lost three games in a row, and they've failed to score at least 22 points in five consecutive games. Clearly, not feeding him the ball wasn't the reason why this offense wasn't working the way it was supposed to work. Conversely, DeVonta Smith has drawn just 5, 11, 8, and 8 targets during that span. He has never complained about his usage, and he hasn't been a distraction.
The Eagles laid their own bed when they gave Brown a three-year, $96 million contract extension. They knew his history and baggage from his days with the Tennessee Titans, so this shouldn't come as a surprise.
He's now owned a fully guaranteed $29 million in 2026 and is signed through 2029. Trading him would force the Eagles to take a $43.5 million dead cap hit, and while that's a tough pill to swallow, it's still more manageable than absorbing a $72.5 million dead cap hit with a release.