Eagles’ A.J. Brown Out vs. Falcons with Injury; Philly Traded for Jahan Dotson in Aug

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 15, 2024

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The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Atlanta Falcons on Monday without one of their top offensive playmakers.

Philadelphia announced Sunday that wide receiver A.J. Brown was downgraded to out for the contest because of a hamstring injury. Brown did not participate in Saturday’s practice and will now not take the field for the NFC showdown against Atlanta.

This is quite the blow for the Eagles, as Brown started his season off in excellent fashion with five catches for 119 yards and one touchdown during a victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The offense was dialed in against Green Bay, as Saquon Barkley tallied 109 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, while DeVonta Smith posted seven catches for 84 yards.

Philadelphia surely envisioned something similar when it signed Barkley this offseason. Opposing defenses that stack the box to deal with the star running back won’t have enough on the outside to stop Brown and Smith, and vice versa when they focus on the wide receivers.

However, things will be a bit easier for Atlanta now that Brown is out.

The 27-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler who is coming off back-to-back seasons with more than 1,400 receiving yards. While he was excellent during his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, he has been even better with the Eagles since joining the NFC East team ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Smith and Barkley will surely still be focal points for Philadelphia during the game against the Falcons, while Jahan Dotson is a candidate to see additional targets as quarterback Jalen Hurts looks to spread the ball around.

Dotson was with the Washington Commanders the past two seasons and hauled in a combined 11 touchdown catches.