“A.J. Brown is looking like a prophet”: Stephen A. Smith claims star WR was right about Eagles’ offensive concerns

Perhaps the Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff should seek A.J. Brown’s advice more often. The star receiver has had plenty of concerns in the past about the direction the offense was going. Those concerns appear to have fallen on deaf ears with the coaches, but Stephen A. Smith hasn’t forgotten.

“A.J. Brown is looking like a prophet because everything that he said has come to fruition,” Smith said on Wednesday’s episode of First Take (Time Stamp 0:02).

“He (Brown) talked about not taking stuff for granted; last year was last year. This year’s a different year. Teams are better; they’ve made adjustments, we’ve got to do the same. And the Eagles offensively haven’t done it,” according to Smith (Time Stamp 0:06).

In 2024, the Eagles ranked eighth in offensive yards per game at 367.2. So far this season, they are 24th in that category with 304.8 yards offensively per game. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowl receiver, has at times been the forgotten man in the offense, getting no targets in their opening game against the Dallas Cowboys.

Brown is second on the team for receiving yards with 56 catches for 699 yards. That said, he’s averaging just 12.5 yards per catch, the lowest of his NFL career. DeVonta Smith leads the team with 802 receiving yards, though Brown is first on the Eagles for targets with 87, one more than Smith.

In their 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears last weekend, Brown was one of the few bright spots on the Eagles’ offense. He had 10 catches on his 12 targets for a game-high 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Former Eagles linebacker blasts Brown

While many critics and Eagle fans are backing Brown’s play and his comments one former linebacker isn’t.

Seth Joyner played his first eight NFL seasons in Philly. The three-time Pro Bowler and Eagles Hall of Famer had some harsh words about Brown.

“In a lot of ways, he’s a typical wide receiver, -- 21st century wide receiver diva and he’s selfish,” says Joyner.

Joyner claims that Brown only complains when his number isn’t called. He adds that a Hall of Fame receiver called him saying the Eagles would be better off without A.J. Brown. While Brown has accumulated a combined 242 yards in his team’s last two games with three scores, the Eagles wound up on the losing end both times.

The Eagles led the NFC East with an 8-4 record.