Oct 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) reacts after a catch against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field.

Philadelphia lost for just the second time in the last calendar year in Week 5. The Eagles' 21-17 loss to Denver marks their first loss since Week 16 last season, when they lost 36-33 to Washington on Dec. 22.

That loss saw an unusual performance by the Eagles' offense. Philadelphia's strength is running the ball, but the Eagles managed just 45 yards on the ground while quarterback Jalen Hurts had a season-high 280 yards passing.

Just 43 of those 280 yards went to top wide receiver A.J. Brown.

The Eagles' leading receiver from their title-winning season a year ago has been inconsistent at best in 2025. Brown's on pace for the worst year of his seven-year NFL career by a long way. More than half of his 194 receiving yards this season came in one game; he's managed 95 in the other four combined.

He hasn't been shy about his frustrations with the season so far. The Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 to move to 4-0 on the season. Brown took to social media to post a cryptic screenshot of a quote from the Bible after posting two catches for seven yards in the victory.

"If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw," the quote read. "Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way."

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce sided with Brown on the "New Heights" podcast episode following Week 4 and said the wide receiver isn't selfish for being unhappy.

“I think he should be upset that he’s not being utilized in this offense,” Kelce said. “Everybody should be upset that A.J.’s not getting the ball. And I guarantee they are. They’re trying to force it to him. It needs to be done in a better way.”

There's no denying it's been a rough start to the season for the Eagles' star wide receiver. Here's a look at what's been different in 2025 for Brown.

A.J. Brown's usage

This year is by far the worst for Brown in Pro Football Focus (PFF)'s player grades. His 67.9 receiving grade through five games is on track for his worst since his rookie season in 2019, when he received an 80.9.

A massive change for Brown in 2025 is where he's lining up. Philadelphia is deploying Brown wide in 92.7% of his snaps. That's nearly 10% more than any year he's been in Philadelphia and the highest rate of his career. Unsurprisingly, that means he's taking just 7.3% of his snaps from the slot.

According to NFL Pro, Brown has just been targeted less overall in the Eagles' offense this year than ever before. His target rate (targets per route run) is currently at 24.5% for 2025. Last year, it was 29.9%.

Brown's getting less separation on his targets, too. His average separation per target is 1.7 yards; he's never measured less than 2.1 yards in any year of his NFL career.

Overall, Brown is being targeted less, siloed out wide and not separating on his targets. Philadelphia has a first-time offensive coordinator in 2025 in Kevin Patullo, who took over from Kellen Moore. The last time Brown played under a first-year coordinator was 2023 under Brian Johnson and he still set a career-high in receptions with 106.

A.J. Brown stats

All of that usage means Brown is on pace for his worst season in the NFL and it isn't close. His 38.3 receiving yards per game is by far a career low; his previous worst was 65.7 yards per game as a rookie in 2019.

Here's how his stats look entering Week 6 against the New York Giants:

  • Targets: 36
  • Receptions: 19
  • Receiving yards: 194
  • Receiving touchdowns: 1

Brown leads the team in targets but none of the other statistics. Fellow wideout De'Vonta Smith has more receptions (25) and receiving yards (272). Tight end Dallas Goedert leads the team in receiving touchdowns with four.

The Eagles may be 4-1, but their offense ranks 30th in yards and 31st in passing yards. It's not as if Brown is missing out on a ton of production by going elsewhere.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's wrong with A.J. Brown? Usage, stats for Philadelphia Eagles' star WR

Reporting by Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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