A.J. Brown's 2025 Season: Has the Elite Receiver Hit Rock Bottom?
In just nine games, A.J. Brown has already made more headlines for drama surrounding him off the field than for his play on it. The once elite receiver is struggling to stay on pace with a career-low in receiving yards and a target share that is far below that of other top receivers around the league.
Brown's numbers when the ball does come his way are alarming, particularly in categories such as yards per reception, yards per target, completion percentage on targets, average yards after the catch, and average separation. His pace for these categories over the course of his time with the Eagles is bleak compared to that of teammate DeVonta Smith.
One thing is clear: Brown's production has taken a drastic downturn since joining the Eagles in 2022. While he has made some great catches this season, there are several reasons why it seems like he just isn't the same receiver we're used to seeing on the field.
One major issue is his inability to separate from defenders. Despite claiming that he has had success against man coverage, Brown's reps against man coverage show a lack of separation compared to previous seasons. Additionally, he appears to be compensating for this lack of separation by pushing off on defenders, a tactic that was once subtle but now seems more aggressive.
Another problem is his inability to gain yards after the catch. This was always one of Brown's greatest strengths, and it's been all but non-existent this season. As a result, Brown just doesn't look like the same top-3 type of receiver we've come to know during his time in Philadelphia.
It's too soon to say that Brown is in decline based on just eight games played, especially considering he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. However, it's fair to suggest that his individual play can and should be better than what it has been. The Eagles' coaching staff and teammates will need to figure out how to more effectively beat zone coverages that have frustrated the offense all season, or find ways to get Brown in situations where he is open.
For now, it seems like Brown's production has hit rock bottom, at least this season.
In just nine games, A.J. Brown has already made more headlines for drama surrounding him off the field than for his play on it. The once elite receiver is struggling to stay on pace with a career-low in receiving yards and a target share that is far below that of other top receivers around the league.
Brown's numbers when the ball does come his way are alarming, particularly in categories such as yards per reception, yards per target, completion percentage on targets, average yards after the catch, and average separation. His pace for these categories over the course of his time with the Eagles is bleak compared to that of teammate DeVonta Smith.
One thing is clear: Brown's production has taken a drastic downturn since joining the Eagles in 2022. While he has made some great catches this season, there are several reasons why it seems like he just isn't the same receiver we're used to seeing on the field.
One major issue is his inability to separate from defenders. Despite claiming that he has had success against man coverage, Brown's reps against man coverage show a lack of separation compared to previous seasons. Additionally, he appears to be compensating for this lack of separation by pushing off on defenders, a tactic that was once subtle but now seems more aggressive.
Another problem is his inability to gain yards after the catch. This was always one of Brown's greatest strengths, and it's been all but non-existent this season. As a result, Brown just doesn't look like the same top-3 type of receiver we've come to know during his time in Philadelphia.
It's too soon to say that Brown is in decline based on just eight games played, especially considering he missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury. However, it's fair to suggest that his individual play can and should be better than what it has been. The Eagles' coaching staff and teammates will need to figure out how to more effectively beat zone coverages that have frustrated the offense all season, or find ways to get Brown in situations where he is open.
For now, it seems like Brown's production has hit rock bottom, at least this season.
A.J. Brown's struggles are a major concern for the Eagles' offense... Interesting how much his play has slowed down compared to DeVonta Smith 
. and yeah, his separation is way off compared to last year. i get that hamstrings can be a major setback but 8 games is still not a lot of time to adjust...or figure out how to beat zone coverage. its gonna take more than just tweaking their route tree to get brown back on track 
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... and what's up with him not being able to make big plays after the catch? that was always one of his strengths 
... I'm hoping the Eagles can figure out how to utilize him more effectively in their offense 
...i mean i've seen high school receivers make better plays than this guy is making. plus he's still got that whole "pushing off" thing going on which just seems dirty to me. yeah, decline? maybe. but let's see it before we start writing him off for good 
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. Now it's like he's losing that confidence and it's showing in his play. The Eagles need to find ways to get him the ball in spots where he can make a play 
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. Until then, I think we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out 
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But still, his game seems so different now. Is this just a rough patch or is something more going on? 
. and yards after the catch are basically non-existent. i get that hammy injury messed him up but 8 games is a decent chunk of time to be figuring this stuff out. also, devonta smith's been carrying the team on his back and brown's just not getting enough opportunities 
. He's had some great catches this year, and the fact that he missed training camp with an injury makes it hard to compare his performance to others. Plus, his coaches need to find ways to get him open more often 
his numbers are def not what we're used to seeing and I think the Eagles need to get creative with their play calls to get him open 
it's like he's compensating for his lack of separation by being more aggressive, which isn't working 
and yeah, gaining yards after the catch has been almost non-existent this season 
. But at the same time, it's hard not to notice the changes in his game. He's always been great at getting open, but now he just doesn't seem to be able to separate from defenders like he used to 
. And that whole pushing off thing? Not cool, man 
. I'm not saying he's washed up or anything, but it's like the Eagles need to find a way to get him back on track if they want him to be the receiver he used to be 
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it's just not working for him anymore and it's super frustrating because we all know he used to be one of the best receivers in the league 
his separation skills from defenders r non existent 
his yac game is also ghosted 
and i think the coaches need to get creative with coverage and find ways to get him open 
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. He can't keep relying on being open because of his size, that's just not working out as well this season 
what's the deal with that? can't just leave them out? 
anyway... i think aj brown needs to work on his separation thingy or something. it's like he's all over the place on the field sometimes 
