Mainly, the Eagles did a deep clean among their coaching staff after suffering a slump in the second half of this season.
And now one of their star wideouts is speaking out about that change.
Philadelphia released offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and defensive coordinator Sean Desai, and also parted ways with Matt Patricia, who joined Desai as an assistant at the end of the season when the defense continued to struggle.
AJ Brown, who often refused to speak to the media due to frustration after losses, found the words to address the recent changes, especially those that didn’t come as a shock to Johnson’s departure.
Brown said in an interview with The Associated Press that when the Eagles’ offense doesn’t perform well, as it did in the Eagles’ thrilling overtime win over the Bills in Week 12, “someone has to be the bad guy.” ” he said.
The Eagles then lost six of seven games, including a playoff game against the Buccaneers.
“In this league, if something goes wrong, someone has to be the bad guy. I wasn’t surprised,” Brown said. “Like I said earlier about the OC’s job, regardless of who you put in that position, it comes down to the players executing and making plays. For me personally, I have a job to do. , I don’t get too attached to the person in the OC position. When my number is called, I have to answer.”
After the Eagles lost 32-9 to the Bucs in the wild card round and were eliminated from the playoffs, Johnson was replaced by former Cowboys and Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and Desai was replaced by former Dolphins defensive coordinator. Vic Fangio was appointed.
Brown sprained his knee in Week 18 against the Giants and missed the Eagles’ only playoff game, but the next day he deleted his X account and removed all references to the Eagles from his Instagram page.
Earlier this week, host Kay Adams was pressed about the trade rumors during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up & Adams,” but she didn’t say much in an effort to quiet the chatter.
“I don’t know. Maybe they know something I don’t know,” Brown said. “I’ve been through something like this before. I’m a veterinarian. I’m silent. If something happens, I’m on the phone, but if not, I’ll be right here.”
Fellow Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith also appeared on the show, adding that his teammates are “not going anywhere.”
