Jalen Hurts Might Already Be Missing A.J. Brown

It’s only a joint practice, so nobody should be sounding the alarms just yet.

But Jalen Hurts’ first look against the Patriots certainly wasn’t pretty.

Hurts reportedly finished Wednesday’s Eagles-Patriots joint practice 19-of-27 passing with zero touchdowns and three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

That’s a rough afternoon for any quarterback.

But it’s especially interesting considering Hurts is entering a new era in Philadelphia without A.J. Brown, who is now on the other side of this matchup as a member of the Patriots.

For years, Brown was Hurts’ security blanket.

When Philadelphia needed a huge third-down conversion, a deep shot down the sideline or simply someone to win a contested catch, Hurts could throw it toward No. 11 and trust Brown to make something happen.

That luxury is gone now.

Philadelphia still has weapons, but replacing a receiver like Brown isn’t something that happens overnight. And while one ugly August practice doesn’t mean Hurts is suddenly going to struggle all season, throwing three interceptions with no touchdowns certainly isn’t the start Eagles fans wanted to see.

The pressure is also going to be on Hurts to prove that his success wasn’t overly dependent on having one of the NFL’s most dominant receivers on the outside.

Maybe this practice ends up meaning absolutely nothing.

But after three interceptions, a pick-six and zero touchdowns, Hurts might already be realizing just how different life is going to be without A.J. Brown.