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There are high expectations for New England Patriots wide receiver AJ Brown, who is expected to elevate the play of others. And here is where an ESPN analyst ranked the Eagles and Patriots playmakers after the high-profile trade.
The Patriots stand at No. 10 on the list, up 20 spots from their 2025 rank. Meanwhile, the Eagles dipped from No. 1 to No. 9. It’s interesting to note the Eagles are still a notch ahead of the Patriots.
Brown makes a big difference for the Patriots, and that should make third-year quarterback Drake Maye even better.
“While there’s a drop-off from Brown to the rest of the lineup, the Patriots are much deeper than they’ve been in years,” Bill Barnwell wrote. “Adding Romeo Doubs to the mix lands the Pats a 26-year-old wideout who ranked 28th in ESPN’s receiver score last season. There’s a possibility that he improves with more regular playing time.
“With Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and Kyle Williams all vying for reps, there’s a decent chance New England trades a wideout (likely Boutte) before the start of the season. As it stands, while this isn’t the best wide receiver room in the league, it might be the deepest — albeit one in which Maye likely elevated talent and receiving efficiency across the board last season.”
As for the Eagles, the loss of Brown means DeVonta Smith will have to become a No. 1 guy.
“DeVonta Smith has looked like a WR1 without Brown on the field in the past, but the stylish wideout would have to elevate his game even further to compensate for his missing partner,” Barnwell wrote.
“The one player who might miss former Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo (now with the Dolphins) is Dallas Goedert. A tight end who has often underperformed his touchdown expectation in the red zone, Goedert scored 11 times last season, including seven times from inside the 5-yard line (after averaging 4.4 touchdowns per 17 games over the rest of his career).”
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