FOXBORO, Mass. — The Eagles could use a difference-maker at receiver—an explosive, big-play wideout who creates headaches for cornerbacks and nightmares for defensive coordinators.
You know, someone like A.J. Brown.
During Wednesday’s joint practice between the Eagles and Patriots, the obvious storyline was Brown competing against his old team for the first time. Yet a closer look revealed that Brown symbolizes a shared truth between these two franchises.
One team has a plethora of receivers, while the other has a dearth of them.
Patriots’ offense makes one big play after another
Throughout team periods, Brown and quarterback Drake Maye connected time and again. The play that brought the loudest cheers from the fans came during the second team period, when Philadelphia brought a free rusher off the right side of the offensive line, only for Maye to throw over the top and connect with Brown down the right sideline for a chunk play despite sticky coverage from corner Riq Woolen.
“There have definitely been some challenges, but he’s very special,” said Brown of his growing relationship with Maye. “He makes my job a lot easier. I’m just learning how he sees the game and getting on the same page. It’s definitely a learning curve.”
While Maye and Brown are building chemistry, the vibe between the reigning second-team All-Pro quarterback and receiver Kayshon Boutte is well-established. Boutte consistently won his routes in both 7-on-7 and team drills, highlighted by a leaping, toe-tapping catch along the left sideline on a perfectly placed throw by Maye to beat Woolen once more.
All of this came on an afternoon when free-agent addition Romeo Doubs was relatively quiet, albeit making a nice catch on a deep ball during the final team period.
With Brown and Doubs as the leading characters in this new-fangled attack, there’s speculation about whether Boutte could be traded after the fourth-year man demanded out earlier this year. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Boutte has value after 33 catches for 551 yards and six touchdowns last season en route to an AFC championship.
Perhaps general manager Eliot Wolf will take that route with Demario Douglas and Mack Hollins providing solid depth, alongside tight end Hunter Henry, who contributed 768 yards and seven scores in 2025. But if Wolf decides to stand pat, New England has a chance to have one of the league’s top receiving corps despite allowing 1,000-yard wideout Stefon Diggs to leave in free agency.
Ultimately, Brown and Maye are at the center of it all, with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels calling the shots.
“Josh is incredible,” Brown said. “He’s making my job a lot easier. He’s creating great matchups for me, moving me around. He’s a very detailed coach. Just meeting with him and trying to get on the same page. Just [trying] to see it quickly and as fast as he sees it. I think he’s been in this offense for like 25 years, so he has a check for every little thing the defense throws at you. It’s a positive, but a lot of information for me to take in.”
As Brown stated, it’s all a work in progress, but the early signs are encouraging.
As for Philadelphia’s offense …
The Eagles have the makings of a good team but also one with a looming problem.
Up front, neither rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon nor DeVonta Smith practiced Wednesday. Lemon is still recovering from a hamstring injury while Smith is working through a balky hamstring of his own. Both are expected back for Week 1, although with Lemon’s absence dating back to Aug. 4, it could be tough for him to be a major contributor in the early going.
That said, it was a struggle for Philadelphia to generate much in the passing game beyond quick throws and underneath routes. Without the field-stretching speed of Smith, quarterback Jalen Hurts was often left to target Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Dontayvion Wicks. Both are fine in depth roles, with the duo combining for 79 catches and 919 yards in 2025 with the Chiefs and Packers, respectively. However, should Lemon have a steep learning curve, they’d suddenly be pressed into ill-fitting starting roles.
With the Commanders and Titans as their first two opponents, the Eagles could ease into the season while notching a pair of wins against two teams that won a combined eight games last year. But after that, they have four consecutive playoff teams, including the Bears, Rams, Jaguars and Panthers, with the Cowboys slated for Week 7 on Monday Night Football.
Without Brown, Smith is going to see an increase in double teams and coverages rotating to take away the deep ball. To counter, Philadelphia will need to run the ball well behind Saquon Barkley, forcing opponents to creep a safety or two down into the box.
The good news? Philadelphia’s offensive line was creating holes for Barkley and the other backs on Wednesday. The bad news? The unit ranked tied for 20th in yards per carry (4.2) in 2025 and 18th in rushing yards per game (116.9).
Between the potential resurgence of the rushing attack and the idea of Lemon breaking out as a rookie, there are multiple paths for the Eagles to have a good offense.
But without Brown, the unit has more questions than answers heading into its second preseason game.
Brown mum on reunion, past with Eagles
While practice was the main course, the dessert was every bit as enticing, with Brown talking to the media after the action concluded.
However, Brown wasn’t in a reflective mood. The three-time All-Pro repeatedly said he was looking to move forward while also stating he and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts haven’t spoken since his trade to New England on June 1. Will he talk to him this week between two joint practices and Saturday’s preseason game?
“I’m sure if our paths run across [one another], yeah, sure,” Brown said.
Brown did praise corner Quinyon Mitchell, saying he has “so much respect” for the third-year All-Pro. Still, Brown primarily played coy, noting the trash talk was minimal throughout a practice that didn’t bring any fighting until the final special teams drill, which saw Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter throw a punch.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, who talked in his prepractice press conference about the need to stay away from brawls, had to be mostly happy about the lack of issues despite the day’s emotion.
“[Milton Williams] played there, A.J. played there, and [yet] I think these guys are professionals and they’ve shown that they want to practice for us,” Vrabel said before practice. “I’m sure there’s some added feelings for them but I’m not going to try to explain what those are.”
While one fight is a fight too many for coaches, Vrabel had to be pleased that it was only a minor scuffle.
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