How A.J. Brown elephant in room dominates Eagles free agent upgrade plan – The News Journal

If there’s one pattern developing in the Eagles’ first few weeks of the new NFL season, it’s that general manager Howie Roseman is determined to improve the team around the margins.
That is evident in the free agent signings of cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Jonathan Jones, edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie, tight ends Johnny Mundt and Stone Smartt, wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, running back Dameon Pierce and even the trade for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
They are all designed to upgrade both the non-premier starters in 2025 and the depth behind the premier starters.
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Both were glaring weaknesses for the Eagles last season, and led to the Eagles’ season ending in the wild card round of the playoffs, far short of repeating as Super Bowl champions.
It can’t be this season as the Eagles suffered significant losses in free agency in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship.
And there’s still the possibility of an A.J. Brown trade, which is the so-called elephant in the Eagles’ room. If Brown is traded, the Eagles aren’t better on paper than the 2025 team. If anything, they’re worse. But there’s a twist in how they can be better.
This is where Hollywood Brown comes in, or might come in. As a No. 3 wide receiver with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith ahead of him, he’s an upgrade over No. 3 WR Jahan Dotson, whom the Eagles had in that role the previous two seasons.
But in an A.J. Brown trade, Hollywood Brown might have to be a No. 2 receiver, unless a drafted WR could quickly ascend to that role. Would Hollywood Brown and Smith, or a draft pick and Smith, be as effective as A.J. Brown and Smith?
No, but it will be different. After all, few receivers can stretch the field like the 5-foot-9, 180-pound Hollywood Brown, even seven seasons into his NFL career.
“I feel like I’m even more explosive,” he said.
And few quarterbacks throw the deep ball as often as Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. Hollywood Brown said that was one of the things that attracted him to the Eagles.
“I’ve been watching Jalen play for a while,” Hollywood Brown said. “Even previous teammates, everyone talks highly about him. For me, watching the film on him, seeing how he’s able to make stuff happen, how composed he is, his deep ball, and just how he’s able to lead, that was all attractive to me.
“For me, he’s a Super Bowl MVP, so it feels like he stacks up as a top quarterback in this league.”
But if A.J. Brown is traded, the Eagles are not only taking a $43.4 million salary cap hit if the move is made before June 1, they are also losing a wide receiver who has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in all four of his seasons in Philadelphia.
That’s not Hollywood Brown, who has had one season with 1,000 or more yards, back in 2021. But he did have 587 yards last season with the Chiefs, or more than the 478 yards that Dotson had combined in two seasons in Philly.
So where does that leave the 2026 Eagles?
Look at it from the positions at which the Eagles added players in free agency.
Last spring, when the Eagles signed cornerback Adoree Jackson, it was supposed to be in a supporting role behind Kelee Ringo, a 2023 fourth-round pick who got the first crack at starting opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
When Ringo couldn’t win the job, the Eagles traded for Jakorian Bennett. He couldn’t win the job. So Jackson got the job by default, and predictably, there were ups and downs.
The Eagles aren’t taking that same risk this season. Woolen, a starter in Seattle for most of his four seasons, is an upgrade over Jackson, Ringo and Bennett. Jones, entering his 11th season, is an upgrade at backup nickel and as a reserve on the outside.
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It’s the same way at edge rusher. In the spring of 2025, Roseman signed veterans Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari and Ogbo Okoronkwo to low-cost, one-year deals. When none panned out, Roseman had to pivot by trading for Phillips mid-season and coaxing Brandon Graham out of retirement.
Phillips made a big difference over the final eight games, but he left in free agency to sign a four-year deal worth as much as $120 million with the Panthers. So Roseman signed Ebiketie as a rotational player to go along with Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith. Ebiketie is an upgrade over the three veterans for last season.
But he’s not a replacement for Phillips. That will have to come either via trade or the draft.
At tight end, the Eagles brought back Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra and added Johnny Mundt, a pure blocking tight end. They also signed Stone Smartt for depth and perhaps special teams. And the Eagles can add here in the draft too.
At running back, they signed Dameon Pierce to go along with Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley. Pierce, who ran for 939 yards as a rookie for the Houston Texans in 2022, hasn’t matched that total, combined, over the next three seasons. He played in just five games last season between the Texans and Chiefs and had just 36 yards on 14 carries.
So why would Pierce come to a team with Barkley one season removed from 2,005 yards as the main back?
“I think that’s one of the better reasons to choose this room,” Pierce said. “(Barkley) is a great guy who’s done an incredible job in every aspect of this league, whether it was here, whether it was in New York (with the Giants), his entire career.
“He’s been a great running back and that’s a great guy to be around and learn from.”
And if Pierce can beat out Shipley or Bigsby, that in turn makes the Eagles better on the margins. Just like at the other spots. They might have to figure out a way at wide receiver without A.J. Brown, too. Hollywood Brown, at least, is a good place to start.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Sign up for the “Eye On The Eagles” newsletter, emailed to your inbox every Friday morning. Read his coverage of the Eagles’ championship season in “Flying High,” a hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at Fly.ChampsBook.com.

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