Where the Eagles rank among the NFL's top pass-catching groups for 2025

USA Today

13-05-2025

Where the Eagles rank among the NFL's top pass-catching groups for 2025 A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith help the Eagles earn a respectable ranking, but they're snubbed from first place.
Bucky Brooks, aside from owning a pretty cool football name, is one of the current era's great but sometimes underrated NFL analysts. He is a former player and scout. He has even offered respectable opinions on the Philadelphia Eagles from time to time.
Brooks has proven himself trustworthy. He has earned his stripes and seen it all. Four combined pro football seasons (1994, 1996-98) led to 32 in-game regular-season appearances and another three-game playoff run during the 1996-97 season.
That led to an AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. If you're curious, he only played vs. the Philadelphia Eagles once in his career, but as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He even has a Super Bowl ring thanks to Mike Holmgren, Brett Favre, and the Green Bay Packers' Super Bowl XXXI over the Bill Parcells-led New England Patriots.
These days, Brooks lends his talents to writing and the NFL Network. He is also the co-host of the Move the Sticks podcast alongside Daniel Jeremiah. He grabbed everyone's attention recently with his well-thought-out take on one of the game's glamour positions.
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith lead an Eagles receiving corps that finishes second in Bucky Brooks' ranking of NFL pass catchers.
Peruse the NFL landscape, and it's easy to find varying takes on everything. The running back position is essential again, thanks, in part, to Saquon Barkley. Now, Philly wants to resurrect the fullback position per Jeffrey Lurie. No one doubts that they can do it. If you haven't heard, the Eagles' offensive unit, led by reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, is the toast of the NFL. Being home to the game's top wide receiver duo has much to do with that.
But, are A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith the best wide receiver duo in the NFL? The expected bias would answer that by saying 'yes'. The aforementioned Brooks seemingly places the spotlight elsewhere.
In his recent ranking of top NFL pass-catching groups, Philly's wide receivers and tight end finish second to the Cincinnati Bengals. Here's Brooks' opinion about both.
He states the following about Philly:
"It's hard to find a glaring hole on the defending champions' roster thanks to the Eagles' superb scouting and development process. Philadelphia has utilized every acquisition method (draft, trade and free agency) to stockpile blue-chip playmakers. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith share duties as co-WR1s in an offense that utilizes a potent running game, led by Saquon Barkley, to set up opportunities through the air. WR Jahan Dotson and TE Dallas Goedert excel at working the underneath areas to punish opponents utilizing two-deep coverage and split-safety looks designed to limit throws over the top. Despite their best efforts, few defenses have been able to neutralize the Eagles' aerial attack with Jalen Hurts tossing the ball all over the yard to a collection of sticky-fingered pass catchers with slick route-running skills and big-play potential on the perimeter."
The Bengals are described this way:
"The Bengals showed their commitment to the finest pass-catching trio in the league this offseason by opening the vault to retain the services of WR Ja'Marr Chase (four years, $161 million), WR Tee Higgins (four years, $115 million) and TE Mike Gesicki (three years, $25.5 million). Joe Burrow advocated for his playmakers to receive their blockbuster deals, and the money reflects how Cincinnati has dominated opponents on the perimeter. From Chase winning the triple crown in 2024 as the league leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns to Higgins posting 10 touchdowns as the NFL's most feared WR2 to Gesicki snagging 65 balls as the third option on a prolific, pass-first offense, the Bengals have firepower to match any opponent in a shootout."
At this point, arguments can be made for slotting A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and company ahead of any unit, in Cincinnati or otherwise. A.J. and DeVonta alone combined for 67 receptions, 1,079 yards, and seven TDs, and that was supposed to be an off-year, thanks, in part, to a run-heavy offense that aided Saquon Barkley's run at history.
Place those bets on Philly's skill players again, especially this year, as a more balanced attack is expected. The talent is there. They have shown consistent production. They have won during the postseason and now have the hardware.
Maybe crying over a second-place finish is like crying over spilled milk, but that's what winners do. For those interested, the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams rounded out the top five, with the Detroit Lions finishing just outside the top five with a sixth-place finish. We'll get a front-row seat to view each of those units as Philly's defense will be tested by each one at some point this season.