Is a major trade needed for Eagles to get their hunger back? 4 ways to fix the slumping Eagles
PHILADELPHIA − In many ways, the signs of dissatisfaction have been there since the Super Bowl with A.J. Brown.
Go back to the days after the Eagles won the Super Bowl when the Eagles wide receiver shared on a podcast that winning it all "just like, it wasn't fulfilling."
Or in the days after the Eagles beat the Cowboys 24-20 on Sept. 4, when Brown didn't even have a pass thrown his way until less than two minutes remained (he caught it for 8 yards).
That's when Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praised Brown and DeVonta Smith for their blocking on Saquon Barkley's touchdown run earlier in the game.
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"I didn’t like it," Brown said about Sirianni's praise. "It’s cool to make an example out of that, but I’m not in it for participation trophies."
Brown was happy to accept praise for his blocking last season, mainly because Barkley had an historic season, rushing for 2,005 yards as the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
That's not the case this season. Following the Eagles' 34-17 beatdown at the hands of the Giants, Barkley has 325 yards rushing through six games, and is averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
But the passing game is struggling, too, at least as far as consistency. For as good as QB Jalen Hurts' stats looked for a second straight game with at least 280 yards passing, the Eagles went scoreless in the second half against the Giants, and scored only once in the 21-17 loss to the Broncos on Oct. 5 − and that was with 13:23 left in the third quarter.
That's a combined 58 minutes of shutout football in the second half.
And then Brown said after the Giants loss that he couldn't "recall" a meeting earlier in the week with Hurts and Barkley.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Brown said. When told that both Hurts and Barkley confirmed the meeting and Brown's participation, Brown said: "Well, then, talk to them. I don't recall."
Brown then clarified, sort of, his remarks on social media on Oct. 10 by writing: "That wasn’t a meeting or a sit-down. I said 'I don’t recall' because it got painted like there was tension and (Barkley) had to step in. That’s not true. I was walking to my car, saw them, and stopped to talk. Nothing more."
Just to clear this up. That wasn’t a meeting or a sit-down. I said “I don’t recall” because it got painted like there was tension and Sa had to step in. That’s not true. I was walking to my car, saw them, and stopped to talk. Nothing more.
— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) October 10, 2025
Clearly, something is bothering Brown.
He has already implored the Eagles to open up the passing game after the Eagles' win over the Los Angeles Rams. This came after the Eagles fell behind 26-7 early in the third quarter. They eventually won 33-26.
And now, Brown is asking for patience as the offense, led by coordinator Kevin Patullo, struggles to find a rhythm.
"What game was this? Game 6?" Brown said. "I think sometimes it takes longer than we expect. I think we’re just trying to figure things out. (Opponents) are playing us different than last year. I know you guys want it to look a certain way. We’re still trying to find our identity. I think that’s safe to say. Regardless of whatever identity we’re trying to become, I think it comes down to execution whenever we’re running the ball or whenever we pass the ball."
Well, if this is reminiscent to the Eagles' collapse of two years ago, when a 10-1 start devolved into a 1-6 finish, including a first-round playoff exit, then the Eagles need to nip this in the bud.
As left tackle Jordan Mailata said: "It's gut-check time."
Here are 4 ways to do it:
Do the Eagles need to trade one of their key veterans?
This might sound counterintuitive when the goal should be to address weaknesses, like at edge rusher where the Eagles have just 2½ sacks, all by players who weren't on the roster Week 1 in Za'Darius Smith with 1½ and Patrick Johnson with one.
The Eagles allowed veteran defensive linemen in Josh Sweat (five sacks with Arizona) and Milton Williams (a star with the Patriots) to leave in free agency in order to create salary cap space for young players eligible for second contracts, like defensive tackle Jalen Carter, in coming seasons.
And certainly the Eagles could use an influx of veterans to plug holes on the defensive line and in the secondary.
But that's not always a cure-all. See 2018 when the Eagles traded for wide receiver Golden Tate, or in 2023 when they traded for safety Kevin Byard.
So why not shake things up by trading away a veteran by the Nov. 4 deadline?
After all, if the passing game isn't working, why not deal tight end Dallas Goedert, who's in the final year of his contract? Maybe Goedert can bring back a Day 2 draft pick next spring that can be either used, or packaged in a trade, to draft Lane Johnson's eventual successor at right tackle, for example.
Or, now that linebacker Nakobe Dean is healthy, why not trade him since he, too, is in the final year of his contract? And with rookie Jihaad Campbell already in place as a franchise cornerstone, Dean won't be getting a lucrative second contract with the Eagles.
Perhaps this can serve as a wake-up call to other players.
Don't make offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo the scapegoat
It would be easy to blame this on Patullo, the first-year offensive coordinator whom Sirianni hand-picked to replace Kellen Moore.
But it's telling that Barkley, unprompted, praised Patullo. So did Brown when asked about the predictability of the offense.
"I don’t get into predictability or pointing fingers," Barkley said. "I think (Patullo) is doing a hell of a job, but we all gotta be better. That’s the truth. If anybody thinks anything different, they gotta wake up, in my opinion."
Added Brown: "He’s nonstop (communicating). I think he’s doing an amazing job. He’s trying to get us the ball, and talk about things that we may see, and ideas that he has. It’s nonstop communication. He’s getting a lot of scrutiny, but I think he’s doing a good job keeping this thing going."
Last season, the Eagles were 2-2 when they had their bye week, coming off a humbling 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers. They spent that week talking through their issues, then transforming to a run-based offense behind Barkley. The Eagles took off from there, winning 20 of their next 21 games, lasting all the way until these last two losses.
The Eagles now have a mini-bye. Perhaps the coaches can figure out a similar adjustment.
"There is no panic on us," Sirianni said. "It's, 'Hey, get back up, go back to work, and get better from it.' It's really that simple ... I know we can figure out ways to get this thing rolling. We've been good at that in the past, and got to be good at that again."
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How to shore up the defense
All of the departures on defense left young players filling the void. And that means ups and downs.
As much as rookie safety Drew Mukuba shined with a game-saving interception against the Chiefs in Week 2, that was how bad he looked in missing a tackle on Wan'Dale Robinson, who caught a short pass on the sideline, and proceeded to turn it into a 35-yard touchdown.
There were other missed tackles and misplays, such as two more bobbles on kickoffs, both of which left the Eagles to start drives inside their 10 yard line.
All of that is what Sirianni calls "attention to detail." That has to change.
Can Jalen Hurts connect on the deep balls?
For the second straight game, Hurts missed on a deep ball that would have changed the game.
Against Denver, he had Brown open deep on what should've been a 61-yard TD that would have given the Eagles a 21-point lead late in the third quarter. Instead, Brown slowed up, thinking the ball wasn't coming to him, and then he couldn't catch up to it.
Against the Giants, Hurts had DeVonta Smith open deep on what should've been an 89-yard touchdown on the Eagles' first possession of the third quarter, when they trailed by only three points. But Hurts threw it too far for Smith and it fell incomplete.
"It’s little things," Barkley said. "We’re close. But I’m tired of saying how close we are. We just gotta go do it."
Contact Martin Frank at [email protected]. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 4 ways Eagles can save season, and A.J. Brown, after Giants loss
Category: Football
