FOXBORO, Mass. - The biggest name on the field Wednesday belonged to A.J. Brown, but the most revealing part of the Eagles-Patriots joint practice had more to do with what Brown exposed about both teams.
New England has receivers who can win snaps in bunches. Philadelphia, without Brown, suddenly looks thinner and more fragile in the passing game. That contrast showed up all afternoon.
Brown and Drake Maye were the cleanest connection on the field during team periods. The loudest reaction from the crowd came in the second team period, when the Eagles sent a free rusher off the right side and Maye answered by dropping a deep throw over the top to Brown along the right sideline. Corner Riq Woolen was there in coverage, but the ball and Brown won the play anyway.
“There have definitely been some challenges, but he’s very special,” said Brown of his growing relationship with Maye. “He makes my job a lot easier.
I’m just learning how he sees the game and getting on the same page. It’s definitely a learning curve.”
Maye also kept feeding Kayshon Boutte, whose timing with the quarterback already looks natural. Boutte was repeatedly open in both 7-on-7 and team drills, and his best moment was a leaping, toe-tapping catch on the left sideline that again beat Woolen on a perfectly placed ball.
Romeo Doubs, the Patriots’ free-agent addition, had a quieter afternoon, though he did haul in a deep ball during the final team period.
That receiver room has become one of the more interesting storylines in New England. Brown and Doubs are the headliners, but Boutte’s name keeps coming up because of the trade chatter around him after he asked out earlier this year. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal and coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 33 passes for 551 yards and six touchdowns as the Patriots reached the AFC championship.
Demario Douglas and Mack Hollins give Eliot Wolf more depth, and Hunter Henry remains part of the picture after posting 768 yards and seven scores in 2025. If Wolf stays put, New England could end up with one of the league’s better receiving groups even after losing 1,000-yard wideout Stefon Diggs in free agency.
Brown sits at the center of it, along with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
“Josh is incredible,” Brown said. “He’s making my job a lot easier.
He’s creating great matchups for me, moving me around. He’s a very detailed coach.
Just meeting with him and trying to get on the same page. Just [trying] to see it quickly and as fast as he sees it.
I think he’s been in this offense for like 25 years, so he has a check for every little thing the defense throws at you. It’s a positive, but a lot of information for me to take in.”
Brown’s afternoon came with a few more layers, too. He and Jalen Hurts haven’t spoken since his trade to New England on June 1, and Brown wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it after practice. When asked whether he might talk to Hurts this week during the two joint practices and Saturday’s preseason game, Brown kept it simple.
“I’m sure if our paths run across [one another], yeah, sure,” Brown said.
He did have praise for Quinyon Mitchell, saying he has “so much respect” for the third-year All-Pro. But for the most part, Brown stayed guarded, and the practice itself never really boiled over until the final special teams drill, when Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter threw a punch.
That was the one real flashpoint in a session that otherwise stayed under control, something Patriots coach Mike Vrabel had emphasized before practice. He said, “[Milton Williams] played there, A.J. played there, and [yet] I think these guys are professionals and they’ve shown that they want to practice for us,” adding, “I’m sure there’s some added feelings for them but I’m not going to try to explain what those are.”
The on-field action also underlined the problem Philadelphia is carrying into the preseason. The Eagles did not have rookie first-round pick Makai Lemon or DeVonta Smith available Wednesday.
Lemon is still coming back from a hamstring injury, while Smith is dealing with a balky hamstring of his own. Both are expected back for Week 1, but Lemon’s absence since Aug. 4 makes it hard to ignore the early concern.
Without Smith stretching the field, Jalen Hurts was often left working underneath. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Dontayvion Wicks handled much of that load, and while both are useful depth pieces, they combined for 79 catches and 919 yards in 2025 with the Chiefs and Packers, respectively. If Lemon takes time to settle in, those two could be forced into starting jobs that don’t really fit their profiles.
The schedule doesn’t give Philadelphia much time to ease in if that passing game stays limited. The Eagles open with the Commanders and Titans, two teams that combined for eight wins last season, but then run into four straight playoff teams: the Bears, Rams, Jaguars and Panthers. The Cowboys are waiting in Week 7 on Monday Night Football.
That puts more pressure on the pieces around Brown and Smith. Without Brown, Smith will draw more double teams and more coverage tilted to take away the deep ball. Philadelphia’s answer has to start with Saquon Barkley and a run game that can force safeties closer to the line.
There was at least some encouraging news there. The Eagles’ offensive line was opening lanes for Barkley and the other backs on Wednesday. Still, the numbers from 2025 are hard to ignore: Philadelphia ranked tied for 20th in yards per carry at 4.2 and 18th in rushing yards per game at 116.9.
So there are paths to a solid offense here. A healthier rushing attack would help.
Lemon could hit quickly as a rookie. Smith’s return would matter a lot.
But after a practice that put Brown’s impact on full display, the bigger takeaway was simple: without him, Philadelphia has more questions than answers heading into its second preseason game.
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