You're not the only one wondering why the Eagles haven't used Hollywood Brown originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
No catches, no targets, one game, 17 snaps.
That’s the sum total of the first six weeks of Hollywood Brown’s Eagles career.
The former 1st-round pick, who’s averaged over 700 yards in six healthy NFL seasons, expected more when he signed here.
“I did, but I do understand stuff happens,” Brown said at his locker Friday. “I mean, you can’t take anything personal in this business, so you kind of just got to go about your process and when that time happens, whatever happens, you’ve just got to be ready for it.”
Not an easy lesson to learn and one that took Brown a while to learn.
“Definitely just being older and being in the league for a minute,” he said. “I wouldn’t have handled it as well as a younger guy, but now just knowing I’m blessed to be here. I can’t be mad about a situation because maybe that’s not what God called for me.”
Brown had a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season with the Ravens in 2021. He also surpassed 700 yards in 2020 and 2022 and has been over 500 yards every other full year of his career. He has 33 touchdown catches since 2019 and that’s with missing all of 2024.
But so far this year? Nothing. Hasn’t even had a football thrown his way.
“It’s just really taking it day by day,” he said. “I just really have to be right when I get my opportunity, so that’s what I’ve been focused on.”
Brown signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Eagles in free agency, so you would expect him to have a bigger role.
Why hasn’t it worked out that way?
“Honestly, I don’t have an answer,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know, but what I can do is just try to be ready and go from there. I feel like I’m putting good stuff on tape (at practice). But I could be playing and still not getting the ball or I could be playing and getting the ball and we’re losing. So I try not to make it all about me and just try to roll with the punches.”
It’s possible the Eagles will be without both DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks for their Monday night game against the Cowboys at the Linc. Neither has practiced yet this week, Smith thanks to his lingering hamstring injury and Wicks with an ankle.
That leaves Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Brown as healthy and available wide receivers.
Is this the week Brown gets his chance?
“I hope so,” he said. “If it does, I’ll try to make the most of it. And if it doesn’t, I’ll be rooting on my teammates.”
If Brown doesn’t figure into the Eagles’ plans there is a trade deadline coming up in a few weeks, and it’s possible to see a scenario where Howie Roseman unloads someone like Brown for a late-round draft pick.
Brown isn’t looking for a change of scenery, but he does want to play.
“I’m here right now just trying to play,” he said. “Of course, you want to be somewhere where you play, but at the ultimate end of the day, it’s not my plan. So I might want to play, I might want to contribute, but if that’s not the plan for me, I can’t dwell on it too much or you’ll be unhappy
“And then you’re taking that back home. I can’t take that back home to the wife and kids. So I gotta try to stay as positive as I can.”
How are you doing with that?
“Some days better than others,” he said with a laugh.
“But like I said, it’s a good group here with my teammates. If I’m frustrated, I can go talk to the coach. Everybody hears me out, so it’s not really a bad thing. We’re all dealing with something and we’re dealing with something as a team. So I don’t wanna add that extra stress.”
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