The Eagles have had their fair share of dramatic moments off of the field due to outspoken players and even the infamous anonymous quotes. Who could forget the infamous Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb saga that still has not ended? Follow that with the “Alshononymous” saga about Carson Wentz and it’s always been a negative situation, until now.
During the night of the NFL draft, the Eagles went out of their way and shocked the NFL by trading for standout wide receiver, AJ Brown. This move was followed by a four-year extension for $100 million that would guarantee that the Eagles will have an effective WR group for the foreseeable future. With the Eagles now being complete at the WR position due to the drafting of DeVonta Smith and the acquisitions of Zach Pascal and AJ Brown, it looks like the team is heading in the right direction with the right players on hand to solidify a group that was once a huge weakness.
Fortunately, they did more than just load up on talent at a needed position by adding AJ Brown. They also acquired a player that is focused on one thing, winning. With that mindset comes the responsibility of keeping his teammates in line while also deflecting any negative noise whenever possible. AJ Brown has done all of that and more. He’s shown that he can be the filter that this team needs.
From sounding off at DeVonta Smith’s softball event where he told Eagles fans and Micah Parsons, “Get your popcorn ready! And tell Micah Parsons he can get ready for this shit..” as Jalen Hurts hit a walk-off home run to win the game for the home team. Then there was the recent moment where he came to his QB’s defense about a report that refuted other reports by saying that Hurts was struggling during the Eagles’ last minicamp.
Let’s not forget about the moment when he helped filter the “All-Star team comments by Miles Sanders as well. As AJ embraced the runningback’s thoughts but also remained grounded in them.
AJ Brown has been more outspoken than you would expect a player on a new team would be. He’s taken the mantle of a leader on this team and he’s run with it without permission. How incredible is that? A player that is fearless while standing up against his critics as well as his peer’s critics. He’s also doing it the right way. Brown chose not to cry at a podium about his quarterback or do sit-ups in the driveway while attacking other people. He stood up and said what needed to be said when Philadelphia needed to hear it.
There’s a new era being ushered in that’s led by passion and a winning mentality. It all started with Jalen Hurts as he called out the rat poison when needed to but it was filtered by the passion that Nick Sirianni speaks with when talking about the sport and his team. Brown and the Eagles are deflecting as much noise as possible as they focus on building off their successful campaign last season.
The noise will only get louder as the season draws closer but it’s safe to say that this Eagles team is built to withstand the storm as opposed to running from it like their predecessors.
Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire
