The NFL season is nearly upon us! The defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, are gearing up for their title defense after winning it all last season. The good news for the defending champions is that they are bringing back most of their core players, including their key offensive stars.
Unfortunately, some of their stars are dealing with injuries before the season even starts. Star wide receiver AJ Brown missed some time during the Eagles' training camp due to a hamstring injury. Due to that absence, there was some worry that Brown might miss their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
However, Brown seems to be raring to go for Week 1. When asked whether he'll play against Dallas, the Eagles wide receiver said, “Hell, yeah,” per Jeff McLane.
Brown was a pivotal part of the Eagles' success last season. As the number one wide receiver on the team, Brown shouldered a big chunk of the passing attack. He finished the season with 1,079 yards on 67 catches, seven of which were touchdowns. While those are solid numbers, they were a major step down from his first two years in Philadelphia. Brown notched over 1,400 yards in each of his first two seasons in Philly, including a season where he was just four yards shy of reaching 1,500 yards.
One factor could be injuries: the Eagles wide receiver missed three games last season, with the Eagles losing two of those games. Perhaps the biggest contributor, though, was the major change to their offense. With an elite running back in Saquon Barkley joining the fold, Brown's touches were bound to go down. The Eagles started to force the issue with Barkley, and it worked like a charm.
After a 17-game regular season and a run through the entire playoffs, the Eagles might look to give Barkley less touches to help him recover. That will give Brown the perfect opportunity to bounce back and show he's still an elite wide receiver.
