Hollywood Brown has not caught a pass for the Philadelphia Eagles this season, and he did not hide that it hurts. Asked on Friday whether he expected to play more after a strong summer, the receiver said: “Yeah, I did, but I do understand, you know, stuff happens. I mean, you can’t take nothing personal in this business.”
Brown has appeared in one game in six weeks, the Week 2 win at Tennessee, where he ran the ball twice for 12 yards and was not targeted. He was a full participant in practice on Thursday and Friday despite an ankle listing, and with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks missing practice all week, Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys could be his first real chance.
“I can’t take that back home to the wife and kids”
Brown, a first-round pick in 2019, said he would not have handled this as a younger player. “Definitely just being older and being in the league for a minute,” he said. “I wouldn’t have handled it well as a younger guy, but now just knowing I’m blessed to be here. I mean, my plan is not always my plan, it’s God’s plan.”
He was asked whether a trade had crossed his mind. He did not ask for one. “Of course, you want to be somewhere where you play, but at the ultimate end of the day, it’s not my plan,” Brown said. “I might want to play, I might contribute, but if that’s not the plan for me, I can’t be unhappy. And, you know, you taking that back home, I can’t take that back home to the wife and kids. I got to try to stay as positive.”
Asked if he has managed that, he answered: “Some days better than others.” He said he can talk to the coaches and “everybody hear me out,” and that he does not want to add to a 2-4 team’s problems. “We’re dealing with something as a team. So, you know, I don’t want to add that extra stress,” he said.
“I feel like I’m putting good stuff on tape”
Brown said he has spent the week “getting good reps in with the quarterbacks, building that chemistry timing.” He said he believes his practice work is good. “I feel like I’m putting good stuff on tape,” he said, before adding a reminder that playing time is not everything. “I could be playing and still not getting the ball. You could be playing, getting the ball and we’re losing. So I try not to make it all about me and just, you know, try to roll with the punches.”
He described Tanner McKee, who will make his second start with Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, as “real calm” and “excited for his opportunity.” Asked if Monday could be his moment, Brown said: “I think so. I mean, like I said, I hope so. If it does, try to make a note of it.”
Sirianni on DeVonta Smith: “We’ll see where that goes”
Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke on Saturday, the Eagles’ final practice day of the week. Smith, the team’s leader with 26 catches for 310 yards, was not seen at practice for a third straight day because of his hamstring injury. Asked whether the team is considering shutting him down because he has not been able to shake the problem since the summer, Sirianni did not rule it out. “I just want him to continue to get better. We’ll see where that goes,” he said. “Nobody takes care of their body like DeVonta Smith.”
Sirianni said Smith is “the first one in here, you know, getting treatment, doing his prehab before practice,” and added: “Sometimes the process doesn’t always produce the results you want.” He also praised rookie Makai Lemon, who has 18 catches for 127 yards, saying “he has phenomenal hands” and “we want to get him the football.” On McKee, who began the season as the third quarterback, Sirianni said: “Tanner didn’t budge, you know, he didn’t blink.”
The Eagles, who have lost four straight, host the Cowboys on Monday at 8:15 p.m. ET, which is 3:15 a.m. Tuesday in Cairo.
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