The NFL world is anxious to see how Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense function without A.J. Brown after Philadelphia traded the star receiver to New England amid a widely held belief that his relationship with Hurts had deteriorated.
It's an outcome Dallas Cowboys fans spent more than a year hoping for. Say what you will about Brown's role in the locker room, but nobody in Dallas is shedding tears over his departure. The Eagles may have eliminated a source of drama, but they also parted ways with one of the league's top receivers.
The early returns in Philly have not been great, as Eagles team reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks did not mince words about Hurts' disappointing finish to OTAs.
"There are excuses you can make for the poor showing from Hurts and the offense," Shorr-Parks wrote on X. "Learning a new offense, no DeVonta Smith and going up against what will almost certainly be an elite defense. All are fair. But that doesn’t change the fact that the result on the field for the offense was not a good one yet again."
Just as he did during the 2025 regular season and the playoffs, Hurts is once again validating Cowboys fans' criticisms.
Jalen Hurts struggling without A.J. Brown is comedy gold for Dallas Cowboys fans
Per Shorr-Parks, Hurts threw an interception to new Eagles cornerback Riq Woolen in the team's final practice and went just 4-of-8 during 7-on-7 drills, which is about as close to real football as teams get during OTAs.
Two of Hurts' incompletions forced intended targets Saquon Barkley and Dontavyion Wicks to fully extend out of bounds.
As Shorr-Parks noted, DeVonta Smith had an excused absence. Furthermore, first-round pick Makai Lemon is recovering from a hamstring injury.
Being down two of your best weapons is not ideal -- and the Eagles are installing a new offense under new coordinator Sean Mannion -- but these are not excuses that should be made for a QB who's making $51 million per year.
If anything, Hurts' struggles reinforce Cowboys fans' belief that he's a limited quarterback. Interceptions are common during the offseason program, but missing routine throws and forcing receivers out of bounds is harder to dismiss when the QB is operating in a controlled environment that's designed to favor the offense.
Every quarterback needs help, but Hurts has consistently looked most effective when everything around him is humming.
In 2024, with Barkley eclipsing 2,000 rushing yards, the Eagles ranked sixth in EPA per play and eighth in dropback EPA, per RBSDM. A year later, after the ground game took a step back and Hurts was asked to do more, Philadelphia fell to 17th in EPA per play and 15th in dropback EPA.
Of course, a couple of bad practices don't mean Philly's offense will be a dumpster fire in 2026. But they could be an early sign that Brown's departure will leave a bigger void than the Eagles -- and their fans -- have publicly acknowledged.
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