There are still some incredible talents on the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, but the sour taste seems to be in the media's mind.
It doesn't help that this Eagles offense was in the bottom half in multiple statistical categories in 2025, and the recent trade of A.J. Brown has people concerned. CBS Sports writer Jared Dubin ranked the best triplets in the NFL, with the Eagles' Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and DeVonta Smith still getting love at 10, but the group took a massive drop.
"Philly fell from second to ninth. That's due to a combination of drop-off from both Hurts and Barkley, and the downgrade from the departed A.J. Brown to Smith, who now steps into the role as Hurts' No. 1 option. It felt last year like the Super Bowl shine was carrying the Eagles' rankings, and now that the shine has worn off, they are probably in a more appropriate place on this list."
Are the Eagles that much worse off without A.J. Brown in 2026?
Everyone seems to think that the Eagles are about to just implode without Brown on the team anymore. The reality is that the drop-off between Brown and Smith is not as great as they think.
Remember, Smith led the Eagles in receiving yards last season with 1,008 yards compared to Brown's 1,003. It's not much, but Smith more than earned it as he was the more consistent receiver. Brown had some great games last year, but finished the season in the worst way with two drops in the NFC Wild Card Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
It was clear that Brown was not playing as well as he had in previous years. Sure, the offensive play-calling was pretty bad, but Brown's effort was worse, as he let his frustrations get the best of him, and it affected his play.
Barkley had an off year too, with the offensive line struggles, but he still managed to be in the top 12 in rushing yards and scored seven touchdowns. He did the best he could with an offensive line that had injuries at three of the five starting positions.
Hurts was not as accurate as he has been, but he did a great job of protecting the football and keeping it from harm's way. He still managed to have a career-high 25 touchdown passes and get selected to his third career Pro Bowl.
Read more: This Eagles-Jalen Carter trade idea isn't as outrageous as others
Media members might not be as scared of Hurts, Barkley, and Smith as they were of Brown in the past, but this is still a trio that can come in and do some serious damage with less drama from the wide receiver room.
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