Eagles A.J. Brown Ruled Out For Home Opener Vs. Atlanta Falcons

This will be the first regular-season game the receiver will miss since being acquired on draft night in 2022, snapping a streak of 35 straight games not counting the playoffs.

A.J. Brown gets ready to run a drlll during the Philadelphia Eagles mandatory minicamp in early June. / By Ed Kracz

PHILADELPHIA – For the first time since coming to the Eagles, receiver A.J. Brown will miss his first regular-season game after being ruled out with a hamstring injury for Monday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons.

He was ruled out on Sunday afternoon, a day after a hamstring issue had him listed as questionable.

Brown's absence could open plenty of opportunities for Jahan Dotson, acquired on Aug. 29 from the Washington Commanders.

"If my opportunities do come, I’m going to take full advantage of them," said Dotson in the locker room on Saturday afternoon. "That’s what I was brought here to do, take advantage of every opportunity that’s given to me."

Dotson played 32 snaps in the opener against the Packers, but was targered only once. Still, playing that many snaps is a reflection of how quickly he has picked things up.

 "Before the Green Bay game, I was here for what, 7-8 days (actually 2 weeks)?" he said. "So yeah, that is a reflection of how I can learn things pretty fast. That’s what I’ve been trying to do, and I feel like I’ve been getting more comfortable day in, day out.

"I didn’t really have that many expectations, to be honest. It was really me just getting comfortable, and I was able to do that."

Eagles WR Jahan Dotson / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

Added head coach Nick Sirianni about Dotson: “He's worked his butt off. He's obviously a very talented player. We'll see how that goes. But I know that the guys are ready when they need to be, when they're called upon.”

Brown had five catches for 119 yards, including a 67-yard catch-and-run score against Green Bay last week.

He had played all 35 regular-season games since general manager Howie Roseman deftly pulled off a draft night trade with the Tennessee Titans in 2022. He missed last year’s playoff game in Tampa with a knee injury suffered on the terrible turf at MetLife Stadium in North Jersey in Week 18.

Brown has been the team’s best receiver since his arrival with 199 catches for 3,071 yards and 19 touchdowns in his 35 games, with back-to-back years of 1,496 yards in 2022, which set an Eagles single-season record, and 1,456 yards last year.

The Eagles had a walkthrough on Sunday and Brown was tested and evaluated. The severity of the injury isn’t known, but it could just be a precaution to make sure he doesn’t push too hard and risk tearing it, which would potentially sideline him for a month.

Still, it’s a short week to get ready for Week 3’s visit to the New Orleans Saints, so it is a situation that will be monitored coming out of Monday night’s game. The Saints also ruled out their top cornerback, Marshawn Lattimore, with a hamstring issue for their game on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles have not yet made a ruling on another receiver’s status for Monday night’s game, and that would be rookie Johnny Wilson, who was also listed as questionable for their game with the Falcons.

Whether Wilson plays or not, the Eagles still have DeVonta Smith, Dotson, and Brtain Covey available. The team could also elevate Parris Campbell from the practice squad.

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