Reggie Brown

Brown has fallen out of favor in Philadelphia and enters 2009 no better than the WR3 or WR4. He's nothing more than depth and is even at risk of getting released.

With Donte' Stallworth gone, Brown was in a good spot as the ostensible No. 1 receiver in Philadelphia's pass-happy system. But newly acquired Kevin Curtis quickly became quarterback Donovan McNabb's favorite target, seeing 135 passes thrown his way to Brown's 111. Curtis also did more with his targets, averaging 8.2 yards to Brown's 7.0. Brown also trailed in yards per catch (12.8) after averaging 17.7 in 2006. The diminutive Curtis even saw more red-zone looks (22) to Brown's 16 (two TDs). At 6-1, 197, Brown has decent size and good speed, but he didn't deliver the big plays (just two catches from 40-plus, as opposed to six in 2006). Brown did improve after a very slow September, but four touchdowns and one hundred- yard game was all he had to show for it. On the bright side, Brown's still just 27 and remains a starter in Andy Reid's system.

With Donte’ Stallworth plying his trade in New England, Brown returns as the Eagles’ top receiver – at least among the wideouts as Brian Westbrook should see plenty of work out of the backfield, and L.J. Smith will get his looks over the middle. Newly signed Kevin Curtis will also be in the mix, but he projects more as a No. 2. Brown saw just 93 targets a year ago, but he averaged 17.7 yards per catch. That he caught only 49 percent of his targets isn’t too much of a concern as those targets were typically downfield, and as such, had a higher degree of difficulty to execute. Brown was also busy in the red zone, catching four touchdowns on 16 looks. In fact, Brown had five targets from inside the five, tying him with six players for fifth in the league. At 6-1, 197, Brown has enough size and athleticism to go up over opposing corners, and he’s willing to make plays over the middle. Brown is fast enough to get behind defenses down the field – his six catches of 40-yards plus tied him for third in the league – and he’s a good after-the-catch runner due to his quickness and acceleration. Brown isn’t the most polished route-runner, and his hands are merely average. In sum, if quarterback Donovan McNabb comes back as expected sometime during the preseason, there’s a lot to like about his No. 1 wideout. Brown is a threat both downfield and in the red zone, and he’s entering his third season, which is often the year that receivers break out.

Following Terrell Owens’ dismissal, Brown caught 35 passes for 463 yards and all four of his scores during the last nine games of the year. And don’t forget that seven of those games were played with journeyman Mike McMahon under center rather than All-Pro Donovan McNabb. At 6-1, 195, Brown has decent size and good speed, and though he’s not going to run by the league’s fastest corners, he’s a fluid route runner with above average change-of-direction skills. With Brown heading into his second year (traditionally receivers make a big leap between Year 1 and Year 2), McNabb expected to be completely healthy and Brown listed as the Eagles No. 1 receiver at press time, there’s a lot of upside for him in Philadelphia’s pass-friendly offense.

A two-year starter at Georgia, Brown caught 144 career passes for 2,008 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming only the 5th player in school history to surpass the 2,000-yd. plateau. As a senior, earned first-team All-SEC honors as he led the team with 53 catches for 860 yds. (16.2 avg) and six TDs. He will compete with Billy McMullen to be the third receiver.