The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl less than seven months ago, and two of their superstar players are already unhappy.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, both Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are frustrated in Philadelphia’s offense and want things to change. Russini reported that while Brown has been more vocal about his frustrations, both wide receivers want their usage increased – especially in the red zone.
“They aren’t getting the ball and they know it,” Russini reported on Saturday morning[1].
The Eagles are 4-0 and have shown no signs of a Super Bowl hangover. Just a few months ago, they dethroned Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs behind a great defense and balanced offense that leaned on Saquon Barkley’s career season.
While some NFL pundits doubted that Barkley would be able to shoulder another 2,000-yard rushing season[2] in Philadelphia, the Eagles have not been shy about feeding the best running back in football.
Throughout four games, Barkley already has 77 carries for 237 yards and three touchdowns. He’s caught 14 passes as well. Paired with Barkley, Jalen Hurts is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. He’s already kept the football 41 times for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
As the old saying goes, there’s only one football. Thus far, both Brown and Smith have been the odd men out in Philadelphia. But that’s not saying that the Eagles don’t need them – or that they haven’t invested enough in their talented receiving duo.
The Eagles drafted Smith in the first round after he won the Heisman at Alabama. They traded more than a first-round pick for Brown, who instantly became a top receiver in the league after departing the Tennessee Titans.
Clearly, Eagles GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni would like to have a balanced offense. It’s what helped them stop the Chiefs from completing a Super Bowl three-peat[3] just last season. But it’s clear that Hurts and Sirianni need to get in the lab and figure out how to use their talented receivers.
“Nothing on offense is going good right now and I think that’s where the frustration comes at with a lot of us,” Smith said.
Smith has 17 receptions for 158 yards and one touchdown thus far. Brown has 14 receptions for 151 yards and one touchdown. Hurts has one of the worst average depths of target in the NFL, meaning that his passing attempts are not exactly stretching the field which limits the ability of his talented receivers.
The Eagles will look to improve to 5-0 against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. Now that both Smith and Brown have expressed frustration publicly, perhaps their role in the offense has increased.
After this matchup, Philadelphia plays the New York Giants twice and the Minnesota Vikings. There’s no denying that this stretch of games could be a perfect opportunity to tune up their offense while stacking wins on their conquest back to the Super Bowl.
But it’s not great that two of their most important players are already fed up, despite an undefeated record coming off a championship victory.
References
- ^ Russini reported on Saturday morning (www.nytimes.com)
- ^ shoulder another 2,000-yard rushing season (deadspin.com)
- ^ stop the Chiefs from completing a Super Bowl three-peat (deadspin.com)