PHILADELPHIA − A.J. Brown’s twitter handle is “1Kalwaysopen,” but Brown said the “1K” does not stand for 1,000, as in receiving yards.
Brown would not divulge what it stands for, but the Eagles’ wide receiver did make it clear how he feels about that milestone.
“If I don’t get 1,000, that’s not a good year,” Brown said. “That’s not the goal for me. My goal is beyond 1,000.”
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There are a few things about that, though.
The first is that Brown is at 831 yards this season, needing 169 yards with six games remaining. He just so happens to be playing against his former team this Sunday in the Tennessee Titans, with whom he had an acrimonious breakup last spring.
Both the Eagles (10-1) and the Titans (7-4) are leading their divisions − the NFC East and the AFC South, respectively. Brown downplayed having extra motivation against the Titans, but he’d certainly like to have a good game against them. Brown has already set a career high with 156 yards receiving against the Steelers on Oct. 30, and he had 155 in the season-opener, his first game as an Eagle, against the Detroit Lions.
So 169 yards in a game is not far-fetched for him.
“Of course it means a lot,” Brown said about facing the Titans. “But I gotta be a professional about it, keep my emotions down, and just play.”
The other thing is that for an Eagles wide receiver, getting 1,000 yards is a pretty big deal. That hasn’t happened since Jeremy Maclin had 1,318 yards receiving in 2014.
Jordan Matthews had 997 yards in 2015. After that, no other Eagles wide receiver came within 157 yards of 1,000 until DeVonta Smith had 916 yards receiving last season, setting an Eagles rookie record. In 2019 and 2020, no Eagles wide receiver had more than 539 yards.
Brown is on pace for 1,298 yards receiving, which would rank fifth in team history. It would also be Brown’s personal best. He surpassed 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons with Tennessee, then dropped to 869 yards last season while missing four games with an injury.
But Brown wanted a contract extension in the range of some of the top receivers in the NFL, averaging somewhere around $22-25 million per season.
The Titans wouldn’t do it, and Brown took to social media over the winter to express his displeasure. He even threatened to play baseball in the San Diego Padres organization, the team that drafted him in the 19th round in 2016. Brown had already decided that he was going to college to play football.
Then the Eagles worked out a draft-night trade, sending the Titans a first- and third-round pick, and signed Brown to a four-year deal worth as much as $100 million, with $57 million guaranteed.
“Of course I had come to peace about it,” Brown said about leaving Tennessee. “The Eagles are 10-1. We’re doing a really good job here. Of course, early on, I had mixed emotions, but (the contract) changed my family’s life forever. That was the goal. So I’m thankful for Tennessee, but I’m here in Philly now.
“Early on, I wanted to try to finish my career a Titan. I stated that. I learned that it’s a business, and that you gotta do what’s best (for yourself) because they’re going to do what’s best for them. You grow up, and that’s what I did.”
The Eagles are just as happy to have him. That’s especially true for Brown’s best friend, quarterback Jalen Hurts.
“It’s been cool to just be able to experience all of these things with him and be along front and center for his journey,” Hurts said. “He’s doing great things, and he’s done a lot of great things this year, and I’m happy for the things he’s doing.
“I know he wants more, and I see that competitiveness in him personally.”
But Brown has struggled somewhat since that career-best game against the Steelers. Brown has had 170 yards receiving in the four games since. Brown has also fumbled twice, played through an ankle injury, and a stomach bug last Sunday that left his eye with a red spot from vomiting so much.
“He’s tough as hell,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s just got so much toughness and he just fits great into this team with a bunch of guys … He was able to fight through a tough week and get himself ready to play.”
The Titans, meanwhile, have struggled without Brown.
They used the first-round pick on wide receiver Treylon Burks, who after a slow start, has played well lately. But veteran Robert Woods, with 351 yards, is the Titans’ leading receiver. Tennessee’s offense goes through running back Derrick Henry, who is second in the NFL in rushing with 1,048 yards and is first in carries − by a wide margin − with 247.
The Titans rank 29th in passing, averaging just 176 yards per game through the air. They’re also 26th in scoring, averaging 19 points per game.
When asked how the Titans’ wide receivers have done without Brown, Titans coach Mike Vrabel told a reporter: “I’m not into midseason report cards. I’ll let you do that. I don’t give a report card.”
Let’s just say Brown would get a better grade with the Eagles. And he knows it.
“Regardless of how the trade and everything went down, I feel like me personally, I feel like I won,” he said. “I say that because, like I said, that changed my family life forever. That’s the goal, especially growing up where I’m from. Of course I want to do great, and help us have a great game, but that’s the reason why we play the game.”
Will Jordan Davis come off IR?
Rookie defensive tackle Jordan Davis said he hopes to play Sunday, the first day he’s eligible after missing the required four games on injured reserve, but doesn’t know if that will be the case yet.
“We’ll make a decision at some point,” Davis said after his first full practice Thursday since suffering an ankle injury on Oct. 30 against the Steelers. “We’re pushing it. We’re cranking this thing full tilt as far as I can go. I would love to (play), but we have to make a decision that’s smart for everybody.”
If the Eagles determine that Davis is ready, they could create a roster spot for him by placing safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on IR. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney against the Packers on Sunday night, and is expected to miss at least a few weeks.
Davis had been the Eagles’ best run-stopper up until his injury. Since he’s been out, the Eagles have signed veterans Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
