Looking at the Eagles WR Corps
AJ Brown was a great player for the Eagles during his four seasons, helping the team reach two Super Bowls and win one. In both Super Bowls he caught a touchdown pass for the Eagles.
Yet all the drama he created by always calling for the ball, often sucked the life out of the Eagles. His lackluster performance during last year’s 23-19 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, when he wasn’t showing great effort to catch some balls, likely sealed his exit.
Has anybody noticed how drama-free the Eagles training camp has been without Brown?
His departure is seen by many as addition by subtraction, but there is also the production that the Eagles will have to make up.
In four regular seasons for the Eagles, he had 339 receptions for 5,034 yards and 32 touchdowns.
During three playoff seasons – he missed the 2023 postseason due to injury – Brown had 28 receptions for 334 yards and three TDs in eight contests.
So now the big question is how will the Eagles replace the production?
Under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, it appears as if there will be many players who get involved in the offense.
Here is a look at the potential contributors at receiver.
DeVonta Smith
In his five seasons, Smith has 385 receptions for 5,019 yards and 31 touchdowns. The Eagles have made the playoffs all five years that Smith has been on the team. In 10 postseason games he had 51 receptions for 665 yards and two touchdowns.
Now he will have the responsibility of being the No. 1 receiver and he seems to relish the opportunity. Last year he had 77 receptions for 1,008 yards and four scores.
With more likely targets, Smith should increase his stats, although he will likely see more double-teams with the absence of Brown.
Dontayvion Wicks
He has a good chance of being the Eagles’ No. 2 receiver. Wicks was acquired for two late-round picks from Green Bay, where new Mannion was quarterbacks coach of the Packers last year. Wicks, who turned 25 in June, was among many young wide receivers in Green Bay. Last year in 14 games, which included seven starts, he had 30 receptions for 332 yards and two touchdowns. They aren’t overwhelming stats, but Green Bay had many mouths to feed in its young receiving room. Wicks should get more chances with the Eagles. Last year he had 46 targets. He could double that with the Eagles.
Hollywood Brown
Even though Brown turned 29 in June, he is still considered among the fastest players in the NFL. Despite the speed, his career average yards per reception is just 11.6.
The Eagles are now his fourth team. and he has bounced around for a reason. There hasn’t been the consistency expected when he was a first round draft choice of the Baltimore Ravens (No. 25 overall) in 2019.
Last year with Kansas City he had 49 receptions for 587 yards and five touchdowns. The Chiefs have a below average receiving corps. and they decided not to retain him. That might be a red flag, but Brown will be motivated to prove himself. He has just a $2 million cap hit according to Spotrac, so the Eagles aren’t taking a major chance. They hope he can be a low-risk, high reward.
Makai Lemon
The first-round draft pick out of USC, Lemon is known as a great route runner. Not a speed burner, he knows how to get open. He had a chance to be the Eagles No. 3 receiver. It will be interesting who gets the nod in what looks like a battle between Lemon and Brown.
Johnny Wilson
The 6-6, 228-pound Wilson missed last season due to injury. He is considered the Eagles best blocking receiver and as a rookie on the 2024 Super Bowl champion, he had 369 offensive snaps in 16 regular season games. That is an average of 23 snaps a game, which is impressive for a rookie on a Super Bowl winner. With his size, he could be a good red zone target.
After that there are some other hopefuls, but these should be the top five and it will be interesting if Mannion gets them all involved in the offense.
DeVonta Smith / Courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles
advertisement
Author: Marc Narducci
Archives
Former Delsea Baseball Coach Vince Londino Moving To The College Ranks
Brooklawn Finishes Runner-Up In State American Legion Baseball Tournament
LeBron Makes Sixers Immediate Title Contenders
The Benefit of Summer 7-on-7 Football In South Jersey
Brooklawn Prepares For American Legion Final Four
Phillies Luzardo Pitching Like An Ace
EHT Grad Flukey Signs For Nearly $4 million With The Tigers
A Look at The American Legion Baseball District Tournaments
Looking at the Phillies At The All-Star Break
Kingsway Grad Ward Staying Busy This Summer On The Baseball Diamond
Tri-County Baseball League Revving Up For The Postseason
Phillies To Have Major All-Star Presence at Citizens Bank Park
Eastern Grad Michalski Enjoying His First Season At Cherry Hill American Legion
St. Augustine’s Weingartner Made a Great Final Impression Before the MLB Draft
A Look At The 76ers and Flyers First Round Draft Choices
More...
