Despite the Philadelphia Eagles being 4-0, star wide receiver A.J. Brown recently expressed his frustrations about his limited involvement and production being known.
While Philadelphia is a franchise with a culture strong enough to navigate this situation, Brown is about to encounter a challenge that is the last thing a frustrated receiver needs to see. That challenge is facing off against Pat Surtain II.
The Eagles are hosting the Denver Broncos on Sunday, which means Philadelphia’s receivers have to deal with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Surtain recently appeared on an episode of “Speakeasy,” and he was asked how he feels about playing Brown in the midst of the drama. The cornerback essentially said it doesn’t matter, but he’s sure Brown and the Eagles will eventually get things figured out, just not on Sunday when he’s lined up across from them.
Pat Surtain II says A.J. Brown and Eagles will have to wait another week to get back on track
Surtain certainly has the resume to make a statement like that, so it will be up to Brown and Philly to prove him wrong. In addition to his Defensive Player of the Year award from a season ago, Surtain is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro player. He’s also coming off a performance where he shut down Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase. In the entire game, the wideout had five receptions for 23 yards — only one of those catches, for eight yards, came against Surtain.
Read more: Eagles send Eli Ricks, Antwaun Powell-Ryland packing (again) in latest moves
Brown only has eight receptions for 42 yards this season, outside of his Week 3 performance when he caught six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He’ll be looking for a performance similar to that one, and Surtain will be looking to keep him frustrated. This will be their first matchup against each other in the NFL, so it’ll be fun to see what happens.