PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, asked about A.J. Brown’s cryptic tweet following Sunday’s game, said he believes the receiver wants to remain in Philadelphia and suggested that whatever frustration he’s feeling is tied to his desire to help the team win.
“Obviously, A.J. is very important to this football team,” Sirianni said Monday. “I know he wants to contribute and do the things he’s capable of doing. He wants to contribute into these wins, and he’s had a couple games where he hasn’t been able to for different reasons.
“I question nothing about his desire to play great football, his desire of being a good teammate, his desire to be here.”
Brown finished with two catches for 7 yards on nine targets in the Eagles’ 31-25 win over the Buccaneers in Tampa. The passing game stalled out in the second half, with quarterback Jalen Hurts going 0-for-8, allowing the Bucs to nearly mount a comeback.
Brown declined to talk to reporters postgame. A short time later, he posted a quote from the Bible: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”
It has been a relatively quiet start to the season for Brown, who has 14 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets. His 10.8 yards per reception is well below his career average of 15.6.
He has been held to 27 yards or less in all but one game. In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, he erupted for 6 catches, 109 yards and 1 touchdown as the Eagles were forced to open things up in the second half after falling behind 26-7.
“Me personally, I truly believe we’ve got so many good players on this team, and at times you can feel like we’re being conservative,” Brown said last week. “I don’t think it should be like that. I think it should [be] let your killers do their thing and play fast and play aggressive. I’m not saying that we haven’t been, but me personally, that’s what I would like.”
The Eagles are 4-0 this season despite getting outgained in all four games. They are the second team over the past 90 years to start 4-0 and get outgained in all four games alongside the 2012 Cardinals, who went on to finish at 5-11 in Ken Whisenhunt’s final season as Arizona’s coach, per ESPN Research.