Latest news with #A.J.Brown
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A surprising split for Eagles WR duo in a recent ranking of the NFL's best
A surprising split for Eagles WR duo in a recent ranking of the NFL's best The Eagles' all-star wide receiver duo lands on a list of the NFL's best, but they couldn't be ranked further apart. Statements like this next one are typically debated when mentioned. Rankings are subjective, but A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL. They might be the best one-two punch at the position that the Philadelphia Eagles have ever seen. Do you see how quiet it got after you read that? This may seem one-sided or the theories of someone looking at the world through Midnight and Kelly Green lenses, but trust and believe. Serious thought was given to the statement before it was written. Yes, the guys in Miami are doggone good. The same can be said for the talent the Cincinnati Bengals have given Joe Burrow in the Queen City, but be honest with yourselves, Dolphins fans. Would you rather have your starters or A.J. and DeVonta today? That isn't to state Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are slouches. This doesn't suggest Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins aren't elite. Nothing could be further from the truth. This is simply a reminder of how good Brown and Smith have been during their run together in the City of Brotherly Love. Three seasons together have helped produce highlight reel plays and another Vince Lombardi Trophy for the Birds. Recently, Swole and Skinny Batman landed on a ranking of elite NFL receivers, but there are a few questions worth answering about how they were slotted. A.J. Brown lands atop PFF's WR ranking. DeVonta Smith is another story. Some love Pro Football Focus, others are confused by the rankings sometimes, and others still land in both categories. At times, it can feel like a mathematical genius is needed to understand how they calculate all of the numbers they come up with. Here's something we can all digest more quickly. A.J. Brown landed atop PFF's ranking of the NFL's top 32 wideouts ahead of the 2025-26 regular season. Trevor Sikkema, the writer of this one, notates the following as his reason for making that decision. "Brown dominates defensive backs across the board, but his success against single coverage is especially notable. He earned the highest receiving grade versus single coverage in 2024 (96.6) and leads the league in that category over the past three seasons (2022–24) with a 97.0 grade. He can win in every way, against any defense." Brown is in tier one with Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase. There's no argument there. DeVonta is in tier four, and that's where the confusion begins. "Smith is about as reliable a No. 2 wide receiver as there is. He has earned receiving grades between 77.0 and 83.5 in each of his four seasons, with 2024 marking a career high at 83.5. His contested catch rate has consistently hovered around 40% throughout that span." No one will find any issues with Sikkema's take. To his credit, he's typically spot on, but challenge flags can be thrown about Smith landing at 17 and some of the names that land in the tiers ahead of him. DeVonta is the first name mentioned in the fourth tier ahead of Chris Godwin, Brandon Aiyuk, D.J. Moore, Jaylen Waddle, Ladd McConkey, D.K. Metcalf, and Chris Olave. He also lands behind several players he's on the same level with, if not slightly ahead of, in his development. Here's who he's staring up at. You be the judge: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puka Nacua, CeeDee Lamb, Nico Collins, Tyreek Hill, Mike Evans, Terry McLaurin, Drake London, Malik Nabers, Garrett Wilson, Tee Higgins, Brian Thomas Jr., and Davante Adams. Evans and McLaurin have Pro Football Hall of Fame arguments. Adams' resume speaks for itself. If they landed ahead of Smith on a ranking fueled by career achievements, no one should have any issue with them overtaking DeVonta, but that isn't what this is. This ranks where these players are headed into the coming campaign. Are we sure all of these guys are better than the Slim Reaper? Maybe that PFF ranking system has something to do with it? Maybe there is something else we're missing? Whatever the reason, perhaps it's worth the effort to recalculate the votes.
USA Today
24-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A.J. Brown reached another level after a workout at the Most Dangerous Gym in America
A.J. Brown reached another level after a workout at the Most Dangerous Gym in America Eagles All-Pro A.J. Brown traveled to the Most Dangerous Gym in America to train with Haddy Abdel A.J. Brown didn't rest on his laurels after winning Super Bowl 59. He chose to get right back into the gym and take his skills to another level as the Birds look to repeat as Champions. Brown is a motivational speaker and a team captain. He recently traveled to the most "dangerous gym in America" to test his mind, body, and spirit. Brown worked out with Haddy Abdel and his team at the Diamond Gym, subjecting himself to taxing workouts and language that's unsafe for work.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A.J. Brown lands at No.1 ahead of some big names in the PFF ranking of NFL wide receivers
A.J. Brown lands at No.1 ahead of some big names in the PFF ranking of NFL wide receivers Philadelphia's A.J. Brown landed the top spot, DeVonta Smith landed at No. 17 in a PFF ranking of the top 32 wide receivers in the NFL The Eagles are the reigning Super Bowl champions, and as we approach OTAs, all eyes will be on the league's most explosive offensive unit. With the summer fast approaching, annual position rankings are being unveiled. Philadelphia had Jalen Hurts land in the top five for quarterbacks, and in Pro Football Focus's ranking of the top 32 NFL wide receivers, A.J. Brown landed the top spot, with DeVonta Smith in the top 20. A.J. BROWN, PHILADELPHIA EAGLESBrown dominates defensive backs across the board, but his success against single coverage is especially notable. He earned the highest receiving grade versus single coverage in 2024 (96.6) and leads the league in that category over the past three seasons (2022–24) with a 97.0 grade. He can win in every way, against any defense. DEVONTA SMITH, PHILADELPHIA EAGLESSmith is about as reliable a No. 2 wide receiver as there is. He has earned receiving grades between 77.0 and 83.5 in each of his four seasons, with 2024 marking a career high at 83.5. His contested catch rate has consistently hovered around 40% throughout that span. Brown finished ahead of Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Puka Nacua to round out the top five. Despite missing three games due to injury, A.J. Brown led the team with 1,079 receiving yards. He also ranked 1st in receiving average (16.1) (min. 60 catches) and 3rd in receiving yards per game (83.0) (min. 13 games), behind Ja'Marr Chase (100.5) and Justin Jefferson (90.2). Smith posted a career-high 8 TDs in the regular season and hauled in a 46-yard TD in Super Bowl LIX. During the run to the Super Bowl, he became the franchise's all-time leader in postseason receiving yards (595).
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
A.J. Brown enjoys a laugh-out-loud take about his Olympic dreams
A.J. Brown enjoys a laugh-out-loud take about his Olympic dreams NFL owners ruled they'll allow players to participate in the 2028 Olympic Games and play flag football. It doesn't sound like A.J. Brown is showing any interest. When A.J. Brown hangs his cleats up and rides off into the sunset, we'll have much to discuss about his Philadelphia Eagles tenure. Where do we even begin? Do we discuss the draft-day trade that landed him, the franchise-record 1,496 yards receiving, or the Pro Bowl and All-Pro nominations? A.J. is everything we ask an athlete to be: open, honest, and accessible. However, he's also the victim of a reaction we see far too often: constant attacks for being honest and wearing his emotions on his sleeve. So, again... How do we tell A.J.'s story without mentioning touchdowns and his involvement in turning an unknown nonfiction work into a bestseller? The answer is we don't. There isn't much missing from his resume except maybe a gold medal... Oh yeah... About that... NFL players can compete in the 2028 Olympic Games, but it doesn't sound like A.J. Brown will be there. Here's something we never thought about five years ago: How about NFL players competing at the Olympics? It's now possible, as NFL owners met in Minneapolis and discussed whether or not they'll allow the league's players to participate in the flag football competition. As it turns out, they will, but there are some restrictions. Don't expect A.J. Brown to be a Team USA roster member. It sounds like he won't be there thanks to a scheduling conflict. This is a massive win for flag football. However, there are a few kinks to work out regarding what it will look like once the 2028 Olympics arrive. We're still a few years away from that happening.
San Francisco Chronicle
21-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
NFL owners are expected to take up the tush push ban vote, but the Eagles aren't fretting
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — While the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles were going about their offseason business, NFL owners gathered in Minnesota with the fate of their trendy short-yardage maneuver featured prominently on the agenda. The proposal to ban the tush push was headed for a league-wide vote on Wednesday. The Eagles, though, were hardly worried about an issue well beyond their control. 'It's only one yard,' wide receiver A.J. Brown said nonchalantly during an interview session with reporters at Eagles headquarters on Tuesday. Indeed, the plunges by strong-legged quarterback Jalen Hurts behind a powerful offensive line will continue regardless of whether a three-quarters majority is secured to pass the resolution. What the owners must decide is whether a teammate should be allowed to shove or tug him. Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata sounded resigned and relaxed about the potential rule change when asked about it on Tuesday. He even said jokingly that he hoped for a ban because he hates the cheeky name of the play. 'Worrying about whether they're going to ban the tush push or not ain't going to win us another championship,' Mailata said. After tabling the issue seven weeks ago, a vote was expected by Commissioner Roger Goodell on the issue that involves aesthetics, integrity and safety. The league released a revised proposal by the Green Bay Packers on Monday that broadened their original language to prohibit pushing, pulling, lifting or encircling a runner by any offensive player, not specific to the quarterback assists that have come to be cleverly known as the tush push. If 24 of the 32 owners approve, the rule would essentially revert back to where it was 20 years ago, when a previous such ban was lifted because of the difficulty of enforcement. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has been leading the defense of the play his team developed with the coinciding arrival of Hurts in 2020. The NFL has no conclusive data supporting a connection between the tush push and an injury risk increase, as Lurie noted at the previous league meetings in Florida. The Buffalo Bills are also a frequent user and favor a ban for safety, though, as head coach Sean McDermott said after the vote was tabled. The tush push not only assigns a player to push the backside of the quarterback for extra power behind a tight nine-man line but sometimes involves a blocker on the end pivoting to try to pull the ball carrier past the marker. Health is only half of this debate, however. Entertainment is the other. While the Eagles have nearly perfected the play for fourth-and-1 or 1-yard line situations with well-chosen personnel and well-rehearsed precision, it looks more like rugby than football. The Packers have been among several teams voicing their distaste for the evolution of the traditional quarterback sneak into an all-out scrum. On the memo distributed by the NFL on Monday, the reasons cited for the proposal are player safety and pace of play. 'It was controversial when the forward pass came out,' Lurie said at the last league meetings. 'I think aestheticism is very subjective. I've never judged whether a play looks OK.' Regardless of the fate of the play, the fairness and fun of it are sure to be talking points throughout the season, particularly leading up to the Monday night game on Nov. 10 when the Packers host the Eagles. Both of those teams have a good chance to be in contention in the loaded NFC for the playoffs, which could unfold a little differently if a proposal by the Detroit Lions were to pass. Like the tush push, a vote was tabled at the most recent gathering for further discussion on altering the seeding rules to base the order on overall winning percentage rather than guaranteeing division winners the first four spots in each conference. In this case, division winners would no longer get the automatic home game as the Los Angeles Rams did in January after finishing 10-7. Though wildfires forced the game to be moved to Arizona, the Vikings had to hit the road despite going 14-3, one game behind the Lions. ___
