AJ Brown’s honest reaction to Brandon Graham speculating tension between him and Eagles teammate Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts needs to target AJ Brown more to keep him on track for a 1,400-yard season, but there’s no tension between the two.
AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts (Image via IMAGO)
There’s no tension brewing between Jalen Hurts and himself, rallied Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown. His output has seen a steady decline this year compared to previous seasons, which led many to interpret that Brown and Hurts don’t seem to get along with each other.
Brown’s recent numbers have not been on par with his usual statistics. Compared to last year’s six consecutive and total of seven 100-yard games, the former Tennessee man only has four this time around. A third consecutive 1400-yard season appears to be slipping through his hands after lodging just 836 yards with four games left in the regular season.
On top of it, Brown has yet to make 10 receptions this year (6 is the most he’s caught in a game). In the win over the Carolina Panthers, he was targeted just four times by Hurts, resulting in just 43 yards.
Even DeVonta Smith’s numbers don’t look remotely similar to 2023. Smith has a total of 45 receptions for 553 yards and 5 touchdowns. He will have to average more than 100 yards in the remaining games to ensure a third consecutive 100-yard campaign.
These numbers were bound to attract attention even though the Eagles are 11-2 and lead the NFC East. The first person to stay out loud was the Eagles’ Brandon Graham, who appeared on WIP and spoke about the tension between Hurts and Brown.
Graham is dealing with a biceps tear but knows what goes on inside the locker room. However, as per Brown, the veteran misspoke about the whole scenario.
AJ Brown just spoke to the media
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) December 11, 2024
Said everything with him and Jalen is fine. Said he is good with BG
Said his “passing” comment wasn’t directed at Jalen Hurts pic.twitter.com/9ZrRTzwLUI
The Eagles’ new approach play limits AJ Brown’s game
Since the addition of Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, the usual pass-heavy offense switched to running the ball on the ground this year. Hurts likes to hand off the ball to Barkley, especially on the third downs, leaving the receivers frustrated.
Brown’s frustration was visible on the camera during the Eagles game for not seeing the ball enough. Yet, why fix it if it’s not broken? The Eagles are content with Barkley mowing down defenses with his Madden-like movements.
The Penn State graduate set the Eagles single-season record by overtaking LeSean McCoy on Sunday. He currently has 1623 yards and is on course to catch former Rams rusher Eric Dickerson’s 2105 rushing yards record.
Hurts acknowledged the shift in the dynamic but thwarted any idea of tension between him and Brown.
While for an outsider, it may come across Barkley as the one standing between the two, but that’s not true. Instead, it only proves that if Hurts wants to he can switch the offense to more pass-heavy and still be effective because he has weapons like Brown and Smith.
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Ishan Misra
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