Eagles traded their best player — and the brutal reality is already setting in
· Yahoo Sports
The Eagles will begin a new era without star wide receiver A.J. Brown Tuesday, which could make next season difficult.
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Late Monday afternoon, Philadelphia traded Brown, a three-time All-Pro, to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
The Eagles won’t mourn Brown’s departure for very long, as the coaches and players have already known for months that Brown would be traded. The long wait has given them plenty of time to sort out their emotions.
Philadelphia made several moves this offseason to prepare for Brown’s eventual departure, including trading for former Packer Dontayvion Wicks and drafting USC star Makai Lemon in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
It’s hard to argue that the Eagles are better off after losing one of the best wide receivers in the league and, over the last four years, arguably the team’s best player.
But the Eagles couldn’t persuade Brown to return, and now they must move forward without him and try to create a dangerous offense that can thrive.
DeVonta Smith will take over as the No. 1 wide receiver in Philadelphia’s offense, while Lemon, Wicks and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will be the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 wide receivers, respectively.
“There’s no doubt that A.J. Brown was a huge, huge part of our football team, a great player for us, and that loss will have to be picked up by more than just one player,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said Monday.
The Eagles are expecting that Smith, who has been one of the league’s best No. 2 wide receivers over the last four years, could break out this year and become an elite No. 1 wideout for the first time in his career.
“There was a time DeVonta was ‘the guy’ coming in,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said last week. “I know everyone has a lot of confidence in him.”
That development would take some pressure off Lemon as a rookie because he wouldn’t have to become an instant star. The offense can direct most of its targets to Smith.
“I have a lot of confidence in DeVonta Smith, always have,” Roseman said. “I think he’s just a really, really good player, and excited for him to continue to improve and shine as a player. I have a lot of confidence in that.”
Smith has not earned a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro selection during the first five years of his career, but he has displayed the talent of a top-10 wide receiver. He could finally earn one of those accolades in 2026.
The pressure to replace Brown will also fall on new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion and Hurts.
Mannion could design a system that is less reliant on a single dominant player, and that could make life without Brown easier. Hurts could grow as a passer and elevate the talent around him, proving that he is still a top-end NFL quarterback at this stage of his career.
“I do want to become an expert at the position,” Hurts said. “I do want to grow in the position. That’s obviously hard to do when it’s always changing (offensive coordinators). But that’s not going to stop me from trying to be the best I can be. I’m just trying to grow and take in the coaching.”
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