Will Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown Still Be an All-Pro?
At one point this season, Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown looked certain to earn a First-Team All-Pro selection. Heck, it looked more like a question of whether Brown could mount a serious case for Offensive Player of the Year -- or even MVP -- than if he would be an All-Pro.
USA Today
However, like the Eagles, Brown has tailed off in the second half of the season. His overall numbers on the season still look elite, as he's posted 105 catches for 1,447 yards. But since setting a new NFL record with six consecutive games with 125 or more receiving yards, Brown doesn't have a single game with more than 125 receiving yards. In those eight games, Brown has gone over 100 receiving yards just once, with 114 yards in a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.
So where does Brown stand ahead of the final week of the regular season?
Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins might fall short of setting a new single-season record for receiving yards, but he still has 112 catches for 1,717 yards and 12 touchdowns. Hill has unquestionably been the best receiver in the NFL this season, and is going to earn his fifth First-Team All-Pro selection as he cements his Hall of Fame case.
It's also fair to say that CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys has secured one of the three First-Team All-Pro spots at receiver. Lamb had a staggering 227 receiving yards in a Saturday evening win over the Detroit Lions. On the season, Lamb has 122 catches for 1,651 yards and 10 touchdowns.
That leaves Brown fighting for the third and final All-Pro spot with a few other options.
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions: For the first time since 1993, the Lions are division champions, and St. Brown is at the forefront of that. He has 112 catches for 1,371 yards and nine touchdowns.
- D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears: Acquired in a megadeal for the No. 1 overall pick from the Carolina Panthers, Moore has put together an excellent first season with the Bears. Moore has 92 catches for 1,300 yards and eight touchdowns.
- Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams: It's rare that a rookie is an All-Pro selection, but it's rare to be as productive as Nacua has been in his first NFL season. In a matter of months, Nacua has gone from being an unheralded fifth-round pick to one of quarterback Matthew Stafford's favorite targets. Nacua has 101 catches for 1,445 yards and five touchdowns. He's making a strong closing argument, and perhaps voters who feel badly that Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud is likely to win Offensive Rookie of the Year will throw Nacua a vote here.
- Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers: While he may be hurt by being on an All-Star team, Aiyuk has emerged as one of the NFL's elite receivers in 2023. His 72 receptions don't stand out in this conversation, but Aiyuk is sixth among all receivers with 1,317 receiving yards this season. He leads the NFL with 18.3 yards per receptions.
So what's the verdict? The six-week stretch that Brown had in the first half of the season was so dominant that he's probably the favorite for the third and final All-Pro spot entering Week 18. Voters who aren't as glued in on the day-to-day happenings of the Eagles -- which haven't been pretty of late -- might just look at the back of Brown's football card and determine that he has had the third best statistical season of all players at his position in 2023.
But, among others, Nacua and St. Brown have strong cases themselves. If Brown doesn't have over 100 receiving yards in Week 18, it would be the eighth time in the final nine games of the season. And that may open the door for someone else to take the last All-Pro spot from him.
