The NFL gods giveth, and they taketh away.
On a day when the Philadelphia Eagles got some good news about quarterback Jalen Hurts, they got some not-so-great news on one of his favorite targets, wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Dealing with a nagging knee injury, Brown was absent from Thursday’s practice after exiting early on Wednesday. While the Eagles say it’s part of the plan, it remains to be seen whether that is the truth or simply gamesmanship ahead of the team’s wild-card clash against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
Here’s the latest on Brown ahead of wild-card weekend:
A.J. Brown injury update
Brown (knee/rest) was listed as a DNP at practice on Thursday, according to the Eagles’ injury report.
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That represents a downgrade for the star receiver, who logged a limited session on Wednesday. However, there was minimal concern from the Eagles, since the absence seems to be part of the plan.
Regardless, any downgrade is also a troublesome sign, even if it is planned. Brown left practice quickly on Wednesday and did not return.
Brown has been consistently listed with the knee issue on the Eagles’ injury report since Week 16. He hasn’t turned in a full practice since Friday, Dec. 27. Part of that is thanks to Philadelphia’s decision to rest their starters in Week 18, which was a meaningless game since the Eagles were already locked into the No. 2 seed.
The team still expects Brown to play on Sunday, but this one will be worth monitoring, especially if he suffers a setback.
More importantly, Brown will go into Sunday’s contest without any practice reps with Hurts since the middle of December. The quarterback has been in the league’s concussion protocol for the last two weeks, meaning the two might have to shake off some rust in the wild-card contest.
What is A.J. Brown’s injury?
Brown has been dealing with a nagging knee injury for the last few weeks, something that has cost him plenty of practice time over the last month. The Eagles have also been nursing the ailment by giving the receiver some rest days, but the injury hasn’t prevented Brown from playing. He was one of the team’s players that were given Week 18 off to prepare for the playoffs.
Who are the Eagles playing in the playoffs?
The Eagles are set to host the Green Bay Packers in a rematch of their Week 1 game that took place in Brazil. Philadelphia won that game 34-29.
A.J. Brown stats
Brown finished the regular season having hauled in 67 of 97 targets, while posting 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the third straight season he eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark, which coincides with his arrival in Philadelphia. Brown only managed to play in 13 games, missing three with a hamstring injury early in the season and then Week 18 when the team rested starters.
It’s been a frustrating year at times for the star receiver, who said the passing attack needed to improve following a poor performance against the Panthers. He was also rumored to be at odds with Hurts, per teammate Brandon Graham, who later walked back the comments.
