Eagles coach Nick Sirianni works to calm tensions between QB and WR

There’s no real tension between Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown, according to Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni, who addressed the situation on Tuesday.

After the Eagles won their ninth straight game on Sunday, Brown told reporters that “passing” was the reason the offense wasn’t performing as expected in their 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers.

Defensive end Brandon Graham stirred things up by saying during a Monday radio appearance that he didn’t think Hurts and Brown were as close as they had been before.

“I know that [Hurts] is trying and [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens,” Graham said, before trying to clarify his comments and apologizing to both players for “assuming that it was something it wasn’t.”

Sirianni responded on Tuesday by saying he can only judge what he sees every day. He mentioned that Hurts and Brown eat lunch together, openly discuss the game plan, and pray together before games.

Sirianni doesn’t believe Brown’s comment after the game on Sunday was aimed at Hurts.

“I didn’t take it that way,” Sirianni said during a radio appearance on 94WIP Tuesday. “You can do anything and spin it any way. I took it as we want to get better as a passing attack. A.J. is part of the passing attack. And so, we all want to be better at it.”

“Jalen and A.J. are both really outstanding people and both really outstanding players. I love that our players are wanting to get better and desire to get better, and that’s what we talk about all of the time — is how we get better and be able to do things that are special.”

Brown has 836 yards and four touchdowns this season, following two straight 1,400-yard seasons after being traded from the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

The Eagles have the fewest pass attempts in the NFL, and Brown mentioned he’s having trouble getting into a rhythm.

But with the team’s success and an ongoing winning streak, Philadelphia is focused on continuing to feed running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley leads the NFL with 266 carries and 1,623 yards.

Sirianni acknowledged the attention around the situation and Brown’s outburst on the sideline but said there’s no need to compare it to the Eagles’ poor finish to the 2023 season, which raised questions about team chemistry.

“I see a lot of 2022 vibes,” Sirianni said, referencing his Super Bowl team that lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. “You can look at what you see in one week, but I’m looking at the big picture and, again, I see it as everybody wants to get better.”