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Deebo Samuel is lauded for his explosive versatility. He and Christian McCaffrey share that role as the running/receiving threats who will set foot at Lincoln Financial Field for the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, January 29.
But the Philadelphia Eagles have their “Deebo” the 49ers must contain with the NFC title on the line, as one NFC scout told Heavy NFL senior reporter Matt Lombardo on Friday, January 27: Wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“He’s like Deebo Samuel, where he’s big, strong, fast, and a great route runner. The Eagles’ offensive coordinator does a great job scheming him open when he gets the ball. A.J. is special,” the NFC Scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Lombardo.
And the former Tennessee Titan Brown has brought the flair for dynamics to Philly following the blockbuster NFL trade that sent him to the Eagles in exchange for the 18th and No. 101 overall pick on draft night. Brown was later rewarded with a four-year, $100 million deal after the deal between the Titans and Eagles were made. Now, Brown will witness his first career conference title game.
How Impactful Brown Became
The 25-year-old established himself as a back-to-back 1,000-yard wide receiver in his first two seasons in the league. But he witnessed a massive numbers spike in his first season with the NFC’s top seed.
Brown would go on to accomplish his first 80-catch season by snatching 88 footballs for Philly. His yards rose to 1,496 for another career-high. Lastly, he tied a previous career-best with 11 touchdowns. And he hit those numbers as a 25-catch, 627-yard and six touchdown increase from his 2021 season with the Titans. But along with his numbers spike, his presence created more openings for two other monster talents on the Eagles.
“Brown didn’t just feast as the Eagles’ top vertical threat, catching 88 of 137 targets for 1,496 yards with 11 touchdowns, his presence opened up opportunities for DeVonta Smith on the perimeter and tight end Dallas Goedert underneath in the Eagles scheme, all season long,” Lombardo wrote.
Smith ended up as the receptions leader with 95 while Goedert caught 55 passes in 12 games. Brown even brings a lead blocker element to the Eagles on plays where he’s not the No. 1 option — as proven on this Smith touchdown from the Divisional round romp of the New York Giants.
He averaged 88 yards per game this past regular season while producing five 100-yard receiving games. And now, he’ll join fellow 2019 second rounder Samuel in the NFC title game.
How 49ers can Counter
While Brown has brought more flash to a high-powered Eagles attack, the 49ers pose a different challenge — as the league’s best unit that’s additionally been skilled at forcing takeaways and limiting aerial yards.
“Brown’s ability to get behind a 49ers secondary that is allowing only 222 receiving yards per game could prove critical to the Eagles’ chances of winning a game where points will undoubtedly be difficult to come by,” Lombardo wrote.
Bracket coverage is imminent for Brown, with the Ward duo of Charvarius and safety Jimmie likely aligned his side. The 49ers likely won’t hesitate to run three different double teams in certain scenarios, which was seen in a crucial red zone sequence from the Divisional round win over the Dallas Cowboys as noted by the NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger. That was a play DeMeco Ryans called that saw Charvarius Ward draw solo coverage on Cowboys No. 1 WR CeeDee Lamb in the end zone while the slot, tight end and the second WR option were doubled.
However, noted by The Athletic’s Zach Berman and Bo Wulf on Saturday, January 28, the Eagles may get convinced to run more 12 personnel (two tight end sets) against the Niners. The reason?
“Against 12 personnel, it [the 49ers defense] dropped to 14th in the league,” they wrote citing TruMedia. “Meanwhile, the Eagles were the best passing team in the league out of 12 personnel.”
That means rolling with an extra tight end could put Brown in more one-on-one’s — something Ryans and the 49ers must be mindful of.
But if Brown gets either Charvarius Ward or Deommodore Lenoir in coverage, here’s what he’s walking into:
Ward: The 49ers’ CB1 has produced 11 games of surrendering three catches or less according to Pro Football Reference Advanced Stats. He additionally went from allowing seven catches for 105 yards and a TD his side in the Wild Card round to dropping those numbers to five grabs for 43 yards his side against Dallas.
Lenoir: The “hyena” has surrendered just two catches his side in both playoff wins. Furthermore, he’s snatched a team-best two interceptions in the playoffs.
Brown is the “Deebo” on Philly. He’s the latest versatile gauntlet for the NFL’s best defensive unit — but one S.F. could add to a growing list of 2022 season WRs who struggled facing this 49ers defense.
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