Nick Sirianni addresses A.J. Brown’s social media post, Eagles’ Tush Push variations, and more

Less than 24 hours after his star receiver posted a cryptic scripture verse on social media, Nick Sirianni was asked if he was sure A.J. Brown wants to remain a member of the Eagles.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sirianni said. “Obviously A.J. is very important to this football team. I know he wants to contribute and do the things that he’s capable of doing. He wants to contribute into these wins, and he’s had a couple games where he hasn’t been able to, and for different reasons of why we haven’t.

“I question nothing about his desire to play great football, his desire of being a good teammate, his desire to be here.”

» READ MORE: Marcus Hayes: NFL Week 4: A.J. Brown demands a trade? ‘Crazy Nick’ actually inspires Eagles? Cowboys muzzle Micah.

After the Eagles’ 31-25 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, during which Brown caught just two passes for seven yards, Brown posted words from the gospel of Mark 6:11: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.” According to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, Brown’s message was pointed at someone or someones internally with the Eagles, two sources close to the receiver said.

Brown was held under 10 yards for the second time in four games. He has surpassed 27 receiving yards just once through four games and said last week, after his breakout performance in a win over the Rams, that he wanted the Eagles to “let your killers do their thing, and play fast and play aggressive.”

The Eagles had an efficient first half Sunday, though Brown’s number was rarely called. In the second half, though, Jalen Hurts did not complete any of his eight pass attempts, and the offense too often fell behind the sticks utilizing a running game that hasn’t been as productive as in its record-breaking 2024 season.

Sirianni said he talks to Brown often, seeming to indicate that the issue of the social media post had been addressed before Sirianni meeting with reporters via Zoom, but the coach kept those discussions internal as usual.

“That’s sacred relationship between the head coach and players, and we’ll always keep that private,” Sirianni said.

» READ MORE: With Ogbo Okoronkwo’s injury, an already thin group of Eagles edge rushers suffers another blow

Sirianni also was asked what he’s learned in his role as a head coach about dealing with issues like this one.

“Open, honest communication, and I think it starts with the relationship that you build with the guys before anything,” Sirianni said. “It’s always about being open and being honest and it’s always about the relationship. I know he wants to contribute to what we’re doing out there, especially when we have the second half that we had. Like I said, never question the teammate he is, never question the effort that he plays with, and the player that he is and the person that he is.”

The Eagles’ offense didn’t look pretty in the second half Sunday, but Kevin Patullo twice reached into the bag of tricks and showed some variation out of the Tush Push personnel group.

First, the Eagles scored on an underhand throw from Hurts to Dallas Goedert. Later, with the Eagles lined up in the usual Tush Push formation, Hurts handed to Saquon Barkley, who ran off the left edge untouched for a touchdown.

“Hopefully you soften them up for the next time you run it,” Sirianni said of the Buccaneers. “That’s a good defense, as we know, with really good interior defensive linemen, linebackers, you name it. It was the right time yesterday for it. We probably had a couple more of those in ’23 and ’22 that we ran, more so than in 2024 … that turned into some explosive plays as well. It was just the right time yesterday. Kevin did a good job of calling those in those scenarios and the players did a great job of executing."

» READ MORE: Yes, the Eagles are 4-0 after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Don’t get too excited, though.

One year ago, the blowout Week 4 loss to the Bucs came ahead of the bye week and forced the Eagles to take a long look at what was going wrong and figure out how to correct their issues.

Sirianni doesn’t like comparing seasons, but referenced last year’s course correction when talking about where the Eagles go next. The team is 4-0, unscathed through arguably its toughest four-game stretch on the schedule, but there is plenty to fix moving forward.

“I look at our first four games this year very similar to what our first four games were last year,” Sirianni said. “We’ve obviously played a very hard September schedule, and coming out of September last year it was a good opportunity for us to sit and say, ‘Hey, what do we do good, what are we not doing so good,’ and try to figure that out and get better from it. It’s the same thing here, it’s just we have a different record right now. We have to have that same hunger, same humbleness, that we had last year, this year.

“That first month of the season you’re figuring things out because, at the end of the day, you want to continue to play better, better, better, so you’re playing your best football at the end. A lot of things to clean up … and that’s what today was about. Yesterday we enjoyed it, today back to work and telling each other the truth in attempts to get better."

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The Eagles held a rookie minicamp over the weekend, which means that, for the first time this offseason, there are actual on-field football things to talk about. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and Olivia Reiner were on hand, and share what they learned from practice observations and locker room conversations. Plus, Jeff gives context to the recent departures of two key members of general manager Howie Roseman’s front office staff. Listen here.

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