Who will replace injured wide receiver A.J. Brown for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night? New addition Jahan Dotson seems the obvious choice but the team would be wise to look to these players as well.
Dallas Goedert | Tight end
Goedert missed three games in 2023 and still finished as the team’s third-leading receiver with 592 yards and three touchdowns. Only Brown (473) had more yards after the catch than Goedert (319) which is impressive considering Brown saw 75 more targets last season.
The twenty-nine-year-old tight end caught 4-of-5 targets for 31 yards against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 but has averaged 11.6 yards per reception since joining the team in 2018. The Falcons held Steelers tight ends to seven catches for 48 yards last week but none of their tight ends are as good as Goedert.
Saquon Barkley | Running back
Barkley ran for 109 yards and two scores against Green Bay in Week 1 and also caught both passes directed his way for 23 yards as a receiver, including an 18-yard touchdown. Two targets are too few for a player like Barkley and it won’t be enough for a team missing its No. 1 receiver in Week 2.
Philadelphia’s leading rusher averaged 7.29 yards per catch for 2,100 yards in 74 games as a New York Giant and he’ll need to have more than two targets on "Monday Night Football."
Johnny Wilson | Wide receiver
The team’s sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft played 10 offensive snaps in Week 1 but failed to bring in his only target. He’s also listed as questionable with a hamstring injury for Monday's game.
All things considered, Wilson may be a long-shot to play against the Falcons but if he does, a player of his size (6-foot-6, 228 pounds) would be a real weapon for quarterback Jalen Hurts in the red zone.
DeVonta Smith | Wide receiver
Obviously, with Brown on the sidelines for the team’s home opener, Smith will operate as the team’s No. 1 receiver. With 19 touchdowns and 3,262 yards in 51 games as an Eagle, Smith would be the top option on many NFL teams but has no problem sharing the field with Brown.
Smith caught 7-of-8 targets for 84 yards against the Packers and could easily go over 100 yards against a Falcons team that surrendered 156 yards passing to Justin Fields and the Steelers in Week 1.
