It’s no secret A.J. Brown is frustrated with his role, despite the Philadelphia Eagles‘ stellar start to the season.
Yet, when asked about his conversation with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Brown decided not to air his grievances Sunday night after their fifth straight win, 16-9, over the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field.
Brown had seven catches for 49 yards Sunday night and earned a key defensive pass-interference penalty in the fourth quarter that sealed the Eagles win.
Still, despite his season-high volume of targets (11), Brown was held to fewer than 50 yards for the sixth game of the season. His 50.8 receiving-yards-per-game average is by far the lowest of his seven-season NFL career — his previous worst was 65.8 in his rookie year with the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles (8-2) will take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
Brown credited the Philadelphia defense for carrying it for the second straight week. The Eagles have allowed just 16 points in their past two games since Brandon Graham and Jaelan Phillips entered the lineup.
But Brown is still frustrated with the offense’s inability to put up points. Since their Week 9 bye, the Eagles have scored just 26 points, put up only 307 passing yards and 566 total yards of offense.
“We still got to do a better job on offense and get our stuff going,” Brown said. “It’s a lot of room for improvement.
“It’s some things that we aren’t doing.”
Ultimately, the Eagles offense has made enough plays to win each of their past two games and are tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the best record in the NFC. Plus, Philadelphia beat LA 33-26 on Sept. 21, meaning it has the tiebreaker and holds the No. 1 seed with seven games left.
So Brown is “optimistic” about the Eagles’ outlook, even if he knows their offense needs to do better.
“There’s things that we can always look at and get better at,” Brown said. “There are some things we can be happy about, but we’re in the business of trying to get better. It’s not that we’re just moping around … but we’re going to try to go back to work and fix the things that we need to get better at.”
Brown’s comments about the offense’s improvements are a veiled shot at his lack of involvement in it. According to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, Lurie needed to intervene at practice Thursday to set Brown straight about his complaining on social media, specifically Instagram.
“During the 10-minute meeting, Brown promised Lurie that he would stop complaining on social media, according to the team official,” ESPN reported Sunday. “But Brown also told Lurie that he just wants to be a part of the offense and is frustrated, the official said.
“Lurie told Brown that he didn’t need to apologize, the pair concluded the meeting with a hug, and the wide receiver returned to practice, according to the team official.”
When asked about the meeting, Brown decided to keep the details private.
“I’m gonna keep that between me and him,” Brown said.
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Denver Broncos fans just got a massive dose of hope on two fronts: a positive cancer update on linebacker Alex Singleton and encouraging news on star cornerback Patrick Surtain II’s pectoral injury ahead of their next game against the Washington Commanders on November 30.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Broncos are “optimistic” both Singleton and Surtain can make it back into the lineup in Week 12, which falls after Denver’s bye and lines up with their Sunday night showdown at Washington. Singleton isn’t a lock to be ready for November 30, but Fowler noted the veteran is “trending that way” after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer on November 7. Surtain, meanwhile, has been targeting a post-bye return after missing time with a pectoral injury suffered in Week 8.
Denver enters the stretch run at 9-2 and atop the AFC West, and getting two defensive leaders back would be a huge emotional and on-field lift.
Broncos are optimistic that LB Alex Singleton and CB Patrick Surtain can make it back into the lineup Week 12 (post bye).
Singleton, who on Nov. 7 underwent surgery to have a cancerous tumor removed from one of his testicles, has received encouraging results post-surgery.
GettyAlex Singleton could return to powering the Broncos’ defense as one of the leading tacklers in the unit in Week 13.
Singleton’s story has moved well beyond standard injury news.
The 31-year-old linebacker revealed in early November that a random NFL drug test flagged elevated levels of the hormone hCG, which led to further testing and a diagnosis of testicular cancer. He chose to play in Denver’s 10-7 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, leading the team with nine tackles, and then had surgery the very next day to remove a cancerous tumor from one of his testicles.
Team statements and Singleton’s own social-media message framed the prognosis as positive and emphasized that the cancer was caught early. He said he expects to return to the field “in the coming weeks” once additional test results come back, and multiple reports have echoed that optimism about his recovery and short-term football future.
Fowler’s latest update adds more clarity on the football side. According to his report, the Broncos are hopeful Singleton can be back on the field after the bye, with the November 30 road game against the Commanders circled as a realistic target, even if it’s not guaranteed. That would mean a potential return just a few weeks after surgery, a remarkably quick turnaround that still hinges on how Singleton’s body responds and how doctors clear him.
Before stepping away, Singleton had been a tackle machine and emotional heartbeat of the defense, piling up 89 tackles in 10 games this season.
On the back end, Surtain has been sidelined since straining his pectoral muscle in Denver’s Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys. Reports have consistently pegged his recovery timeline at roughly 4-6 weeks, and the Broncos have notably chosen not to place him on injured reserve, a move that would have cost him at least four games.
Fowler’s update lines up with that approach. Denver has been targeting a return after its Week 12 bye, and the November 30 primetime matchup in Washington remains the goal. Surtain has already described his rehab as “right on schedule” in recent interviews, mentioning progress with movement, strength and pain-free work in the injured arm.
GettyPatrick Surtain II, The NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, may be back on the field for the Broncos in Week 13.
If both players are back on or around November 30, the Broncos could hit the season’s final month with their defensive core intact, and possibly even fresher after the bye.
Singleton has been central to Denver’s run defense and overall tackling structure. He handles a heavy snap load in the middle of the field, cleans up plays sideline to sideline and is a critical communicator for Sean Payton’s defense. Losing that kind of presence, even briefly, is no small thing for a contender.
A healthy Singleton back in the huddle would stabilize the second level and reduce pressure on depth options who’ve been forced into bigger roles while he recovers. It also delivers a clear emotional jolt: a teammate returning from a cancer scare to rejoin a playoff push is the kind of storyline that can galvanize a locker room.
Surtain’s potential return may be even more impactful schematically.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year has routinely erased opposing No. 1 receivers, allowing Denver to tilt coverage and send extra resources at the run game or pass rush. Without him, the Broncos have had to lean more heavily on younger corners and safety help, which can limit how aggressive defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wants to be.
If Surtain is back and close to full strength by the Commanders game, Denver suddenly regains its shutdown corner and can again build game plans around his ability to take away one side of the field. That’s a big deal in a league where the Broncos could soon be facing top receivers on a weekly basis down the stretch.
The combination of Singleton in the middle and Surtain outside is a big part of why Denver has been able to grind out close wins and sit at 9-2 with a top-tier defense in 2025.
If Fowler’s report holds and both Broncos stars make it back on or around that Commanders game, Denver’s defense could be close to whole again just as the playoff race really starts to tighten.