A.J. Brown absent from Eagles practice on Friday
The Eagles season, very quickly, is going from bad to worse. There’s a chance Philadelphia will be without top receiver A.J. Brown for their wildcard game against the Buccaneers.
Brown missed his second straight practice with the Eagles, Friday. The team’s injury report says he’s dealing with a knee issue. However, reporters who cover the Eagles say Brown also is absent from practice.
The Eagles limped to the regular season finish line as they lost five of their final six games. They’re the fifth seed of the NFC with an 11-6 record. However, not that long ago, Philly seemed like a lock for the top seed in the NFC, then at least the winner of the East division. But during their stretch of woefulness, the Eagles dropped games to the lowly Cardinals and Giants.
The week 18 loss to the Giants, with a division title on the line, might gave been the worst moment of the season. Philadelphia wasn’t even competitive in the 27-10 defeat. Coincidentally, Brown called a players only meeting leading up to the game. He wanted his teammates to listen to their coaches.
The injury is another blow. Brown, a team leader, also is Jalen Hurt’s go-to receiver, He caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns.
Eagles star scrubbed his social media accounts
Plus, this may not be a typical injury story. Brown set off alarm bells with fans and sportswriters who pay attention to the granular of social media. Brown deleted his X account (formerly Twitter) and scrubbed mention of the Eagles on his Instagram page.
There was some good news coming out of practice. Receiver DeVonta Smith now is a full participant in workouts after an ankle injury. Plus, Hurts is able to work out, although he’s still limited in what he can do because of a finger injury on his right hand.
The Eagles play the Bucs Monday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Bucs finished 9-8 in the regular season. But they are the host team in the wildcard round because they won the NFC South title.