The Eagles benefited greatly from the arrival of A.J. Brown last season. His veteran presence and remarkable skill set, in addition to his relationship with Jalen Hurts, gave Philadelphia a weapon that has been missed since the departure of Terrell Owens.
In his first season with the Eagles, Brown went on a tear and tallied 1,496 receiving yards on 88 receptions. He also scored 11 receiving touchdowns. The receiving yards were a career-high for A.J. Brown as he became the focal point of the pass-first offense in 2022.
Brown also broke Mike Quick’s franchise record for most receiving yards in a single season. The record lasted nearly 40 years and happened during the most pivotal point in franchise history. The Eagles needed to know that Jalen Hurts was the guy and having Brown by his side more than proved that.
An encore for A.J. Brown?
The biggest question surrounding the Eagles right now is if they can make it back to the Super Bowl and leave with the Lombardi trophy this time. A.J. Brown will be a key ingredient in making that happen. His chemistry with Jalen Hurts should only get better in their second season together. But can he be more dynamic than last season? How much better can he be?
In all honesty, it could excel to another level. With Brown working on being a more complete receiver, you would have to wonder just how much more dominant he can be. He looked unstoppable whenever Hurts threw the ball his way. Brown also brought more than just his playmaking ability to Philadelphia. He was a leader on and off the field. Brown was another extension of the coaching staff and the Eagles QB.
We know he can make the contested catches and run routes around anyone’s favorite cornerback. While the key to all of this is health, Brown is in line to repeat a tremendous campaign with another stat line for the record books. But how high of a ceiling does Brown have? Can the 25-year old wideout continue his trend of dominance or even add another extension to his game?
Only time will tell but Brown looks determined to make sure that this offense is unstoppable. They barely made mistakes all-season and only had one hiccup during the Super Bowl. They may just be scarier in their second year together. My prediction for A.J. Brown this season is 83 receptions for 1,382 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. In year one he broke Mike Quick’s single-season record for receiving yards and in year two he’ll break Terrell Owens’s record for most receiving touchdowns in a season.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
