The Philadelphia Eagles entered last season as the team to beat. However, as the then-Super Bowl champions would find out, it takes much more than just talent to win the NFL.
A report by ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Tim McManus shed more light on the offensive dysfunction under former offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
AJ Brown’s frustration has been a recurrent topic of discussion for months now. However, it looks like fellow star WR DeVonta Smith isn’t happy with the offense, either:
“And, like Brown, Smith had his own frustrations last season — mainly, a source with knowledge of the situation said, the lack of ”layup plays’ in the offense. ‘Every catch, every play is grind-it-out, the receivers have to win,’ the source said. But Smith handles his frustrations differently than Brown. ‘He’s more of a ‘side conversation guy,’ the source said. Perhaps Mannion can help Smith and Hurts land a deeper connection on the field,” the report read.
Brown and Hurts reportedly don’t see eye-to-eye anymore, and the report adds that Hurts also had issues with former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
For now, the Eagles refuse to engage in trade talks surrounding Brown, but that might change after the NFL Draft or later in June, when his dead-cap hit drops significantly. As for Smith, there haven’t been any rumors linking him to another organization.
Whatever the case, most of the Eagles’ offensive issues seem to have a common root: the quarterback. Jalen Hurts is obviously the face of the franchise, but his glaring limitations have held the passing game back way too many times.
Eagles CEO Jeff Lurie shut down any talks of a potential contract extension, at least for now, but barring a shocking turn of events, the Eagles will continue to choose their franchise quarterback over anyone else.