Why 2026 NFL Draft may have no impact on Eagles' A.J. Brown plans

The Philadelphia Eagles added wide receivers Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and Elijah Moore to their roster this offseason. However, none of those options is seen by outsiders as a like-for-like replacement for A.J. Brown, who is expected to be traded by the Eagles later this spring or summer. 

Nevertheless, NFL insider Jeff Darlington of ESPN insisted on Friday that it will not be a "suggestion that A.J. Brown will be sticking around" if the Eagles don't spend a first-round draft pick on a pass-catcher on the night of April 23. For a piece published on Thursday night, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports shared more information about why the Eagles are now comfortable with moving on from A.J. Brown. 

Are Dontayvion Wicks' best days to come with Eagles? 

As Robinson noted, current Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion previously served as an offensive assistant and then quarterbacks coach with the Green Bay Packers when Wicks was with the NFC North club. 

"From conversations with people in the Eagles’ organization," Robinson explained, "I think there’s a sense that Wicks can level up from where he was with the Packers, where he flashed promise but also frustrated the staff with drops. It didn’t help that Green Bay had a cluttered and constantly banged-up wide receiver room that seemed to result in stunted growth for basically all their wideouts. That the Eagles believe he can still achieve another level — and the reality that he turns only 25 in June — is suggestive of something more than a bit role. Or at least the opportunity for a larger role will be there."

Thus far, Wicks has yet to show he can be even a legitimate No. 2 option for an advertised contender. Over the first 46 regular-season games of his career, the 2023 fifth-round draft pick tallied a total of 108 receptions for 1,328 yards and 11 touchdowns. 

That said, people within the Eagles reportedly "view DeVonta Smith as a WR1 capable of thriving with a larger workload" once he no longer has to share targets with A.J. Brown. Like others, Robinson seems to believe a divorce involving the Eagles and A.J. Brown is imminent. 

A.J. Brown linked with expected club

"While a Brown deal isn’t expected until after June 1 (to allow his cap hit to be split between 2026 and 2027)," Robinson added, "it feels likelier with each passing move from [Eagles general manager Howie Roseman], as well as the New England Patriots still clearly lacking a true No. 1 wideout on the roster."

Unless the Patriots draft an advertised WR1 next week, rumors linking them with Brown will likely only grow louder throughout May.