The Philadelphia Eagles have built an offensive juggernaut around Super Bowl MVP quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Surrounding Hurts, 26, with the likes of reigning Offensive Player of The Year, running back Saquon Barkley, along with wide receivers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles are hopeful that the offense can be a driving force at multiple bites at the Super Bowl apple over the next several seasons.
According to free agent wide receiver, and former Eagle, Jordan Matthews, it’s easy to see what makes Brown and Smith one of the premier duos at the position in the entire league.
“That’s got to be at least in the top three [receiving corps],” Matthews said, during an appearance on the Between The Hashmarks Podcast.
Matthews, currently a free agent, was originally chosen by the Eagles in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, out of Vanderbilt, and played five of his first seven seasons in Philadelphia.
Last season, Brown and Smith combined for 1,912 yards and 15 touchdowns, emerging as two of the Eagles’ most prolific weapons and a driving force behind Hurts and the offense’s success en route to winning the Lombardi Trophy.
There’s an argument to be made that the most important player to the Eagles’ success isn’t Hurts or Barkley. Rather, it’s Brown.
Since the 28-year-old’s arrival in Philadelphia following a draft night trade with the Tennessee Titans back in 2022, Brown has caught 261 passes over the past three seasons for 4,031 yards and 25 touchdowns, while powering a pair of trips to the Super Bowl and creating opportunities for the other weapons around Hurts.
“A.J.,” Matthews said, listing Brown alongside Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase as his top receivers currently in the league. “Coming out of Ole Miss, every time he caught the ball, you were like ‘is he moving fast, is he moving slow, I can’t tell,’ but nobody is tackling him.
“He was one of my favorite guys coming out, so he’s made me look really smart over the years. He’s a great player.”
Matthews believes that Brown and Smith’s complementary skill sets are what put the Eagles’ pass-catching pair alongside the likes of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and some of the top receiving duos entering the 2025 season.
“The best thing about DeVonta,” Matthews said. “Is he’s a No. 1, but his disposition to a locker room and to a football team elevates everybody. A guy in his situation could blow up a whole locker room, ‘I know I’m a No. 1 [wide receiver], I know every single play could be designed for me. I could have a bad attitude,’ but he just plays the game, and approaches it the right way.
“I think DeVonta is probably a breath of fresh air, not only to the locker room but in the city because of the way he shows up in the big moments, too. He’s just a humble guy.”
If the Eagles hoist another Lombardi this February, don’t be surprised if it’s because no defense could figure out how to stop A.J. Brown or account for DeVonta Smith.
A.J. Brown on a Mission as Eagles Training Camp Opens
Jamie Squire | GettyPhiladelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown is taking an ‘iron sharpens iron’ approach to training camp this summer.
Having long established himself as one of the elite players at his position across the NFL, Brown is hoping to help forge one of his own teammates into the same stratosphere.
As training camp gets underway, Brown is aiming to help lift second-year cornerback Cooper DeJean into the upper echelon of NFL defensive backs as a payoff of their upcoming battles on the practice field this summer.
“A part of our responsibility as wide receivers,” Brown told reporters ahead of the first practice of Eagles training camp. “Is to get those guys ready. And vice-versa. I joke around with [Cooper DeJean] all the time, I call him ‘All-Pro Coop,’ APC. Because, it’s going to be a year for him.”
There is little doubt that DeJean will benefit from lining up opposite receivers of Brown and Smith’s caliber over the next several weeks during training camp and the preseason. But, the former Iowa standout is stepping onto the field this summer looking to build on what was a dominant and impactful rookie season.
After being chosen by the Eagles in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, DeJean proceeded to post 51 total tackles with six pass breakups, before capping his rookie campaign with a pivotal interception returned for a touchdown off Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Philadelphia’s blowout victory in Super Bowl LIX.
DeJean’s versatility is going to get him onto the field and he’s likely to play a pivotal role in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense, but going up against Brown, Smith and the rest of the Eagles’ receivers could bring out the best in the ascending 22-year-old cornerback.
DeVonta Smith Joins Exclusive Club
GettyDeVonta Smith has become a focal point of the Eagles’ offense.
When Smith walked off the field at the Superdome back in February, amid swirling confetti on Super Bowl Sunday, the Eagles’ star joined exclusive company.
Smith, who was a standout at the University of Alabama before becoming the Eagles’ first-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, became just the fifth player to ever win the Heisman Trophy, a National Championship, and a Super Bowl.
As Yahoo Sports points out, only Charles Woodson, Reggie Bush, Marcus Allen and Tony Dorsett have also managed that feat.
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