When news broke that AJ Brown was questionable and then out for the Philadelphia Eagles' home opener against the Atlanta Falcons, it turned heads around the Delaware Valley.
Since being acquired for a first-round pick from the Tenessee Titans in 2022, Brown has been the model of consistency for the Eagles, averaging almost 88 yards per game while appearing in every regular season game, even if he didn't start one in 2022.
Unfortunately, according to Lisa Salters of ESPN during the network's Week 2 edition of Monday Night Football, Brown relayed why he was out for the game against the Falcons and just how long his absence could last.
“Yeah John, I talked to AJ Brown just before kickoff, and he said what happened at practice on Friday was really just a freak thing,” Salters explained on Monday Night Football. “He said he was running around, and his hamstring tightened up on him. He said he does not think it's too serious, but he does expect to miss ‘a couple of weeks.'”
A couple of weeks? Does that include this week? Either way, that's less than ideal.
With Brown out for Week 2, the Eagles were forced to shake up their game plan and their depth chart, elevating Parris Campbell from the practice squad for the contest while kicking DeVonta Smith up to the WR1 spot, a position he was drafted to fill back in 2021 but has seldom been asked to play since Brown came to town, settling in as arguably the best WR2 in the NFL alongside his former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle, Nico Collins, and Puka Nacua.
Fortunately, the Eagles built contingencies into their roster heading into the regular season, and Jahan Dotson already paid dividends early on with a six-year reception early on. If Philadelphia can overcome Brown's absence and still win games, it will only spell good things for the future.
Nick Sirianni believes the Eagles can overcome losing AJ Brown
While discussing the possibility of Brown being out for Week 2 and how the Eagles will overcome “Swole Batman's” absence, Nick Sirianni gave credit to Philadelphia's WR3, as while the player who has filled that role in the past hasn't always been treated like a star, Howie Roseman found a good one in Dotson.
“That guy gets unfairly judged because he doesn't have the opportunities that other people get. I feel really good about Jahan [Dotson,]” Sirianni noted via Bleeding Green Nation. “I mean, first-round pick, obviously, we traded for him and feel really good about him. He's a smooth route runner, everything like that. I just think sometimes that position is unfairly judged at times just because they don't get the opportunities these other guys are gonna get.”
Had Brown played in Week 2, Dotson may have still been on a snap count as he eases his way into Kellen Moore's offense. But now? With Dotson out? It's safe to say he will see his snaps double or even more from Week 1, as the Eagles need him to be the guy fans expected out of Penn State when he was a first-round pick in 2022.
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