The simplest fix to the Eagles offense could be having A.J. Brown and reinforcements back

A.J. Brown can be careful with his words at times. So when Brown was asked Friday in front of his locker stall at the NovaCare Complex about his vantage point on the Eagles — particularly the offense — looking a lot different when he’s not on the field, he paused and looked toward the ceiling.

“I’m trying to see how to answer this,” Brown said. “It’s a setup question.”

You can brag, Brown was told.

“It’s not about bragging,” he said. “Of course, when I’m on the field I’m definitely going to help my team out and try to put us in great situations. Of course, when I’m not out there, somebody has to fillthat void and everybody has to step up.

“I don’t want to speak on the past couple of weeks because I wasn’t out there.”

He doesn’t need to. The numbers say enough. It’s a small sample size, but the new version of the Eagles offense — with Kellen Moore designed schemes and Saquon Barkley added to the mix — scored 34 points in a Week 1 win over Green Bay with Brown in the lineup.

Over the last three games, with Brown out with a hamstring injury, the Eagles scored 17.3 points per game.

There was a lot for Nick Sirianni, Moore, and the rest of the offensive coaching staff to dive into during their week off. The Eagles have problems with their offense, especially scoring early in games and turning the ball over. But the biggest adjustment for the Eagles ahead of their game Sunday against Cleveland might be the simplest fix of them all: having Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson back on the field.

» READ MORE: Lane Johnson is among the Eagles stars on track to return Sunday. His fourth concussion came with perspective.

The Eagles will have all three of their most important non-quarterback offensive players back when they take the field Sunday in front of their home crowd for the first time in 27 days. Smith and Johnson missed the Week 4 loss in Tampa with concussions. Quarterback Jalen Hurts will have his full slate of weapons — minus injured depth receiver Britain Covey — for the first time since the 34-point performance in Brazil, where Brown caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave the Eagles a lead early in the third quarter.

“It still comes down to execution,” Smith said. “Even if we are there we still have to go out there and execute it.”

Hurts, Brown said, has “been trying to handle it the best way he can” with Brown off the field.

It’s rarely been a problem for the Eagles since Brown joined the team in 2022. He played every game that season, and then every game in 2023 before getting hurt in the first quarter of the team’s blowout loss to the Giants in the regular-season finale. He missed the playoff embarrassment in Tampa, the same place he again had to watch a toothless offense toil for every inch under the hot Florida sun.

Every team suffers when its best player misses time, but for the Eagles, Brown’s injury last season and his absence for three of their four games to start this season illustrated just how critical he is. Smith is as good as any No. 2 receiver in the NFL, but is it not clear at this point how much better Brown’s presence makes him?

While he wasn’t dressing, Brown was a presence on the sideline, especially in New Orleans. First, he played the role of concerned friend and teammate when Smith was knocked from the game. He popped into the medical tent while Smith was being evaluated and then followed him into the locker room.

“That was scary,” Brown said. “First, I just wanted him to be all right.”

Then, he told tight end Dallas Goedert to put his “cape” on. Goedert obeyed orders.

» READ MORE: Eagles’ Sydney Brown is finishing the long journey back from an ACL injury. How soon can he help the defense?

Brown, who started feeling better during the bye and said he feels 100% now, blamed himself for the hamstring injury he suffered between Week 1 and Week 2. It was a “freak accident,” but Brown didn’t go into specifics about how it happened. Brown’s offseason workouts have become something of lore. “I’m doing stuff all the time because I’m always trying to get an edge,” he said.

The injury, Brown said, was probably from fatigue.

“I kind of overworked myself,” Brown said. “That’s who I am. I’m a worker. That was a moment where I just have to learn to work my mind more than my body.”

Brown, 27, is playing in his sixth NFL season. His body will continue to take a toll, but until recently, his workout routines have mostly led to a healthy first five seasons in the league. Balancing when to take his foot off the gas a little bit is something, he said, he’s still trying to figure out.

“I’m about to go work out now, as soon as y’all leave,” Brown said. “That’s just my DNA. I’m not going to just change it up because something happened that’s like a freak accident. I got to work and that’s just who I am.”

The Eagles do not have any injury designations heading into Sunday’s game (Covey is on injured reserve). The only player that was limited in Thursday’s practice, linebacker Nakobe Dean (ankle), was listed as a full participant Friday.

The Eagles play in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.