Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown is in the snappy-retort stage of frustration over the struggling offense.
Asked about any speculation that he's not the same player he was last year, Brown responded cheekily.
"I guess Saquon (Barkley) ain't the same player, either," Brown said, smirking, via Tim McManus of ESPN.
Brown's comment highlights the fact that he's not the only one in the Eagles offense struggling. The wideout has 38 catches for 457 yards and three touchdowns in nine games and is on pace for a would-be career-low 812 yards.
Meanwhile, Barkley, after rushing for 2,005 yards in 16 games last season (125.3 per game), has just 662 yards through 10 tilts. His 66.2 yards per game is nearly half what it was last year. His 3.8 yards per tote is two full yards behind last year's 5.8, and his explosive plays have nearly disappeared. The running back is on pace for 1,125.4 yards this season.
Brown's point isn't a shot at Saquon. Far from it, actually. The entire offensive operation in Philly is out of sorts. The receiver just seems to be the one garnering repeated all the headlines over it.
The Eagles rank 25th in total yards (300.1 per game), 28th in passing yards (184.9) and 29th in third-down conversion rate (33.9%). The group is averaging 115 rushing yards per game (17th in the NFL). Since 2024, the Eagles are averaging the second-fewest passing yards per game (186.8) in the NFL; only the Tennessee Titans (183.4) have averaged fewer over the last two seasons.
On the plus side, the Eagles don't turn the ball over (league-low four giveaways) and have been good in the red zone. That, combined with a smothering defense, has allowed them to stack wins even as the offense sputters.
A win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday would all but end the NFC East race with six weeks left.
Asked about facing a desperate Cowboys team, Brown responded: "We're desperate, too. We're trying to get it going."
The Super Bowl champs are 8-2 heading into Sunday's tilt against the 4-5-1 Cowboys.
