A strong September led to a 4-0 start for the Philadelphia Eagles. The defending Super Bowl champs looked to be well on their way back towards the big game. Since then, two close losses to the Denver Broncos and New York Giants have caused the Eagles to stumble a bit. Sunday's road game against the Minnesota Vikings represents a good chance to get back on track. Rumors that wide receiver A.J Brown has been unhappy with his role in the offense have circulated over the last few weeks. However, according to the Athletic's Dianna Russini, Philadelphia is not trading Brown before the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
“The Eagles are in search of help at edge rusher and cornerback,” wrote Russini on Saturday. “They have received calls on A.J. Brown, and teams are being told, ‘We aren’t moving him now.'”
Not trading Brown makes sense for a team that's trying to get back to the Super Bowl. While the star receiver and his fellow wideout, DeVonta Smith, haven't been as heavily featured in this year's offense, there's still plenty of time for that to change. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo need to figure out the same type of balance that the Eagles utilized to win their second Lombardi Trophy. Can Philadelphia get back on track on Sunday in Minneapolis?
Eagles look to grow NFC East lead with Sunday win over the Vikings
Of course, one of the biggest differences between last year's offense and this year's attack is the leader. Last season, Kellen Moore planned and executed one of the NFL's best offenses. Now, he's the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Patullo was promoted from pass game coordinator to replace him. However, the overall scheme is Sirianni's. Games like the last two defeats shouldn't happen with the amount of offensive talent the Eagles have.
Brown and Smith are just two pieces of this dormant offense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has still been effective with his legs, but has been inconsistent passing the ball. Running back Saquon Barkley doesn't look like the player who took the league by storm once again in 2024. Tight end Dallas Goedert has produced in spurts. If the Eagles don't trade Brown, can they ensure he has an impact once again? If not, then their offense will fail to reach its full potential.
