A.J. Brown said he felt like a champion when he received his 2024 Super Bowl ring on July 18.
No one can take Brown’s ring away from him, but it took a team-first mindset and some sacrifices from one of the NFL’s best wide receivers to achieve that hardware.
Brown’s 2024 season, his third with the Philadelphia Eagles, got off to a rocky start with a freak hamstring injury suffered during practice. By the time he returned fully healthy, the Eagles had established a ground-and-pound mentality, riding the 1-2 punch of Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts in the backfield, and the prowess of the league’s nastiest offensive line, into one of the most unstoppable rushing attacks in NFL history.
On the flip side, the Eagles attempted the fewest passes in the league in 2024. Brown saw less than 100 targets for the first time since his rookie year, and caught his fewest number of passes since 2021, his final season with the Tennessee Titans.
Brown’s looking to become a more prominent piece of the Eagles’ aerial attack in 2025, and his fantasy stock should be rising based on the news coming out of Philly’s first training camp practice.
Brown and Hurts connected on a deep ball during Wednesday’s practice with third-year pro Kelee Ringo in coverage. Brown praised the connection he has with his QB in a session with the media afterwards, and had this to say about the upcoming 2025 season:
“I actually feel like I’m the best in the league, and I want to put a stamp on it. So I’m definitely motivated. But also, I have to put the team first.”
Brown added that he’s focused on “being the best version of myself, and proving each and every day that I am the best.”
Even with less opportunities last year due to volume and injuries, Brown still managed to post a 1,000-yard receiving season with seven touchdowns in 13 regular-season games. With Barkley back in the fold, the Eagles figure to go run-heavy again in 2025, and Brown could be an absolute steal for fantasy managers as a second-round pick.
Brown’s average draft position is currently around No. 19 overall. If he can stay healthy and play a full slate of games, another 100-catch, 1,400-yard, seven-plus-TD season could easily be on the horizon for Brown as he looks to prove those doubting Philly’s passing game wrong.
MORE EAGLES NEWS:
- Did Jalen Hurts try on his Eagles Super Bowl ring? MVP’s answer is 100 percent on brand
- Eagles’ Jordan Mailata sees shades of Micah Parsons in ascending young teammate
- Eagles Swiss-Army-Knife plan for Cooper DeJean takes shape in first training camp practice
- Eagles' Reed Blankenship sends message on Day 1 of training camp. Now it’s Philly's move