DeVonta Smith Backs AJ Brown’s Frustrations Amid Eagles’ Offensive Struggles

AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith have scrapped 150 yards each barely in the four games they have played so far.

DeVonta Smith Backs AJ Brown’s Frustrations Amid Eagles’ Offensive Struggles

DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown (Images via The Philadelphia Inquirer)

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The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-0 in the ongoing NFL season, but it seems the locker room is not united in celebrating the hot start. The Eagles’ wideout, AJ Brown, recently made noise following the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a cryptic tweet addressing his frustration with his limited role in the Eagles’ offensive scheme.

In four games, AJ Brown has registered only 14 receptions from 28 targets for 151 yards and a touchdown. He is ranked 64th in the league in receptions and beyond 150 in terms of receiving yards. The online outburst received support from many industry experts, including Chad Johnson and Emmanuel Acho, who highlighted the fact that AJ Brown has been quite decent about the whole thing.

Brown’s teammate, Travis Kelce, however, shrugged off his worries. Similarly, quarterback Jalen Hurts had a cold reaction to his deleted tweet as well as a diplomatic answer to a question regarding their relationship.

But DeVonta Smith admitted that he didn’t feel that way and came to Brown’s defense. Smith claimed that Brown wanted the best for the team, and Brown is not at fault for thinking so either. He also confessed that he felt the same about the offensive style in Philadelphia.

He wants what’s best for the team. Things aren’t necessarily going our way offensively. I don’t think nothing wrong with him wanting better in that situation. I certainly feel the same way. Offensively, we need to be better.

Devonta Smith said via Zach Berman of TheAthletic.com

Smith too isn’t doing well in terms of numbers. He has 17 catches for 158 yards in the four games, understandably not so prominent, but he’s not worried about it too much.

I control what I can control. The play calls we’re getting are the play calls. The coverages we’re getting are the coverages. Sometimes things don’t work out the way we want it to, and that’s just that.

Smith added

With passing game under scrutiny, AJ Brown could have a bigger role

Through the first stretch of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles have faced one of the toughest slates in the league. Their four opponents, the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, and Buccaneers, hold a collective record of 9-7-1, with combined Super Bowl odds nearly ten times stronger than those of Buffalo Bills’ competition.

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AJ Brown (Image via IMAGO)

The offense has more opportunities to shine in the coming weeks with slight gameplay changes, as their presence might become more required as games get tougher. The Eagles have the fourth-hardest schedule in the league, not counting Thursday’s San Francisco 49ers game against the Rams. The Eagles’ troubles on offense are largely due to their weak passing game, which has been relatively weak.

The Eagles’ offense has struggled to move the ball efficiently. They rank 30th in yards per play and 20th in success rate, which measures how often a team gains enough yardage to stay on schedule with the down and distance. The bigger issue comes through the air, where they rank just 25th in passing success rate, compared to a much stronger eighth in rushing success rate.

They face the Denver Broncos in Week 5, a team that’s been on the down low the past weeks. However, their second-year quarterback, Bo Nix, has performed quite well in the last week, and if he can emulate such performance, the Broncos, with the well-rounded offense, can upset the defending champions.

Also Read: Nick Sirianni Acknowledges AJ Brown’s Underutilization in Eagles Offense Despite 4-0 Start