PHILADELPHIA — The presence of Julio Jones is already affecting the Philadelphia Eagles‘ wide receivers. In their area of the NovaCare Complex locker room, Jones is congregating with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith before the three bust out into laughter.
They get together to chat again, then Jones heads toward his locker with Brown and Smith giggling. On the outside, Jones is reserved and quiet. Or so it seems.
“Oh, he’s a clown,” Brown said with a big smile. “He’s a jokester, he enjoys himself. He always adds great energy, too. From the outside world, you may think he’s very quiet — but he’s a big kid.”
The Eagles have certainly felt the presence of Jones after just three practices with the team. While Jones has been a shadow of his former self over the last few years thanks to injuries, the 34-year-old future Hall of Famer is getting a fresh start with Philadelphia.
Jones has plenty of knowledge to offer and Eagles wide receiving group that doesn’t have a player on the active roster over 26 years old. In terms of experience, Brown’s five NFL seasons are tied with Olamide Zaccheaus for the most of any of the wideouts on the active roster.
“From the vet standpoint, I was the oldest vet in the room,” Brown said. “But now that you have someone here that’s a Hall of Fame receiver, he can really just tell you anything and everything. They’re gonna believe him more than me! He’s seen it all.
“If you don’t listen to him, you’re stupid. I’m just gonna call it what it is.”
Jones and Brown have been together in Tennessee, spending the 2021 season together before heading their separate ways. The Titans traded Brown to the Eagles and opted not to re-sign Jones, who would end up with the Buccaneers.
While Brown had nothing to do with bringing Jones to Philadelphia, the reason Brown is the player he is today is because of the way Jones played. Brown admitted he was scared to play the game before watching Jones terrorize defenses on fall Sundays.
“Before I started talking to Julio, I said he taught me everything he knew without even talking to him,” Brown said. “That’s how much I studied his game. The way I play the game of football is from him. You don’t get the way I play if Julio Jones don’t lace up those cleats.”
Jones also sees a lot of Brown in him as well, but the bond between them is deeper than football.
“A.J.’s an amazing talent,” Jones said. “Big frame, broad shoulders. Can make amazing contested catches. Just the way he plucks the ball and everything and the way he comes to work. He’s only gonna continue to keep getting better. It’s just about being consistent.
“He’s just a great guy on and off the field. A lot of people really don’t get to know us as players. You see us when we play on the field, but the way we interact [with] one another, the way we care about one another, the way we care about things in life. It’s about getting to know the player and the person as well.”
If it wasn’t for Jones, perhaps Brown pursues a career in baseball and carves a Hall of Fame path in another sport. The Eagles certainly were the beneficiary of Brown deciding to play football.
Now they have the player responsible for Brown pursuing an NFL career. The Eagles are hoping Jones has some gas left in the tank to dominate defenses one more time, even though that won’t necessarily be his role in the offense.
“I don’t wanna speak for him, but he’s gonna help us,” Brown said. “I’m gonna let his play speak for himself.”
They’ll get their first look Sunday night when they welcome the 5-1 Miami Dolphins to town.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
October 21, 2023 | 3:45 pm
