Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman has repeated countless times — recently with an ironic smirk — that “A.J. Brown is an Eagle.” He has said it so often at press conferences that, sometimes, he’ll say it before anyone has time to ask a question about the disgruntled star receiver.
The question is whether Brown will get traded. And at this point, everyone knows what Roseman’s answer really means: A.J. Brown won’t be an Eagle for long. All reports indicate he’s going to be a New England Patriot in a deal that sends a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia. (That deal will come after June 1 so the Eagles can split his dead-cap charge over two years.)
The one thing the Eagles have wisely avoided is trying to replace Brown in a one-for-one situation. This is where the Tennessee Titans went wrong, attempting to draft and develop Treylon Burks into their next Brown. And, well, that did not go well. Roseman clearly wants to replace Brown in the aggregate. (“The what?” Think about the famous Moneyball scene.)
Preparations are already underway.
In the draft, the Eagles picked two pass-catchers in the top 54 picks. These two selections have provided clues about Philly’s new offensive vision. So let’s get to the first one: Makai Lemon. The Eagles traded up in Round 1 to No. 20 to make sure they landed the USC All-American receiver. Roseman said they thought Lemon would be off the board much earlier, which was why the Eagles had increased urgency to snag him.
“There’s a lot to like about him,” Roseman said after the first round. “Has the ability to separate in man coverage. He can play in the slot. He can play outside. Physical player. Really good with the ball in his hands. Really good hands. Good in zone coverage — has really good instincts.”
Makai Lemon appears at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round playoffs between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Lemon has every tool to be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. His natural comparison is Detroit Lions All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown, who upends the idea that a slot receiver can’t be the No. 1 option. Given the total absence of top-flight receivers (and the fact that Roseman liked Lemon enough to trade up for him), Lemon will likely get 100 targets next year.
On Day 2 of the draft, the Eagles took Vanderbilt All-American Eli Stowers at 54th overall. The slender-framed tight end was one of the best athletes in the draft and should have a massive impact on the passing game. And even though the Eagles still have veteran Dallas Goedert, I’d expect that the two tight ends will enter a timeshare immediately.
Eli Stowers was a quarterback at Texas A&M and New Mexico State before becoming an All-American tight end at Vanderbilt. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Roseman shopped Goedert on the trade market earlier this offseason. And on draft night, he made his feelings for Stowers clear. The GM, right before telling Stowers that he’d be the team’s second-round pick, asked the youngster if he could name any of the tight ends that Roseman had previously taken in Round 2.
“We’ve got a pretty good history of selecting tight ends in the second round. Can you name any of them?” Roseman said in a video posted on Vanderbilt’s socials. “We’ve got the one we’ve got right here [Goedert]. We acquired Zach Ertz within the second spherical. How about we choose you proper right here and add you to that legacy?”
Given Goedert’s dimension (6-foot-5, 255 kilos), he’ll nonetheless show helpful in a pass-catcher group that’s largely devoid of bulk. Devonta Smith, the staff’s soon-to-be promoted WR1, is dubbed the “Slim Reaper” for a cause, in spite of everything. Lemon is 190 kilos. Stowers is 240 kilos. It’s not an enormous group.
Saquon Barkley, who had a down 12 months in comparison with his historic 2024 efficiency, will (hopefully for Philly) get again to being Saquon. And his physicality ought to assist. What’s extra, the staff’s backup, Tank Bigsby, runs with depth to match his nickname.
So there’s your combination sum. Some returning items. Some new items. Loads of compelling ability units.
However there’s little doubt: It’s an incomplete image.
How will new OC Sean Mannion construct this offense? How will he make it higher than the sum of its components? (Can he?)
The wonder is that the Eagles have Jalen Hurts, who is likely one of the extra versatile quarterbacks within the NFL. It appears the general public is down on Hurts, notably after an ESPN exposé that highlighted his intense management fashion and strong-willed opinions. However if you have a look at his file, Hurts stays a QB who has a 69.5 profitable proportion, ninth finest all time. And Hurts has completed that regardless of having a brand new OC in each single season of his profession. Each one! That’s success in contrast to something in latest reminiscence — to not point out he has a Tremendous Bowl ring. Stylistically, he’ll adapt. He all the time does.
Mannion got here from the Inexperienced Bay Packers, with Matt LaFleur on the helm. However Mannion has been teaching solely since 2024. He was a longtime backup quarterback who spent two years below Rams coach Sean McVay, three-ish seasons below Mike Zimmer (with the Vikings), and one 12 months below Kevin O’Connell.
That’s plenty of completely different offshoots of the Shanahan scheme.
Apparently sufficient, we’ve been seeing most of these coaches prioritize dimension and tight finish bulk. Groups are going towards the fashionable schematic wrinkle of two- and three-tight finish units. In flip, groups are getting larger and extra bodily. That was what the Eagles have been once they made a run two years in the past. However they’re straying from that fashion if you have a look at their personnel. They give the impression of being extra just like the Seahawks below Klint Kubiak or the Rams from 2023, once they mixed star receivers Cooper Kupp and rookie Puka Nacua.
That’s roughly what I anticipate from Philly — a strong run sport and a play-action passing sport. That can assist Hurts really feel extra comfy in a high-volume passing assault, as a result of his pass-catchers can dominate horizontally. And Brown can head to New England the place he and Drake Maye can do no matter it’s that Josh McDaniels want to do subsequent.
Even with uncertainty and drama swirling, Philly seems to be able to tackle the problem of changing one of many league’s finest receivers.
