The Philadelphia Eagles are navigating their own issues, but they are not alone: the team's former wide receiver, A.J. Brown, is not enjoying his time with the New England Patriots.
Philly has been getting slammed with all kinds of issues, and injuries have become the biggest problem for the 2-4 Eagles. The biggest one is Jalen Hurts, who is now out for the season with a calf injury that caused a blood clot that spread to his lungs.
While the Eagles are trying to navigate through that mess, Brown is trying to get things back on track after returning from IR. His first game back did not go according to plan for the former Eagles receiver.
A.J. Brown had a rough outing in his second game not in an Eagles uniform
Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the Patriots' season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. New England placed him on IR, and he returned in Week 6 against the New York Jets.
The veteran receiver had a good game, playing 52 offensive snaps and catching 10 passes. Brown caught only three passes for 27 yards and recorded a career-high three drops in their win.
This continues a trend: Brown has struggled to be the top-end receiver he was when he started with the Eagles in 2022. His regression showed up last season, especially in the San Francisco 49ers Wild Card game, where he dropped two passes and slowed up on another route, prompting Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni to get in Brown's face.
Brown's latest performance may reflect his return after missing five weeks, but the reality is he isn't the same receiver he used to be. He has struggled with consistency on the field. His biggest problem last year, and now in 2026, is that he can't get open like he used to.
The Eagles keep looking better and better after trading Brown away this summer. While Philly might be better with Brown on the field in 2026, he'd still struggle with a ton of things with Tanner McKee at quarterback.
Philly will love to use that 2028 first-round pick they got in the Patriots-Brown trade to help with their inevitable rebuild. The Eagles could use it as trade bait in the upcoming draft or select someone, depending on where it falls.
Read more: Eagles continue to mismanage the Jalen Hurts situation horribly through Nick Sirianni
Brown was a great player for the Eagles for a while there, and even though things ended badly, he is still a key figure in helping the team make two Super Bowls and win one since 2022. That said, if Eagles fans have to suffer through what looks like a horrible season, it will at least be nice to know they aren't alone.
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