The Eagles trading three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Patriots deep into the 2026 NFL offseason was supposed to benefit both offenses.

For Philadelphia, it moved an unhappy player who wasn't meshing well with quarterback Jalen Hurts and coach Nick Sirianni. For New England, it thought it had acquired a real No. 1 for third-year QB Drake Maye while reuniting Brown with his former familiar Titans coach, Mike Vrabel.

Instead, the Eagles have dealt with a rash of offensive injuries and could have used Brown's presence to help a backup quarterback. Brown was a non-factor for the Patriots in Week 1 in Seattle before suffering a high ankle sprain that kept him out through Week 5.

Brown returned to action in Sunday's Week 6 game, with the Patriots (4-2) routing the AFC East rival Jets 26-19 at home. Maye threw for 235 yards and three TDs, but Brown had only three catches for 27 scoreless receiving yards. 

Brown was his team's fourth-leading receiver despite getting a team-high 10 targets. He also had a career single-game high of three drops. Brown also almost committed a turnover when handling the Jets' last-gasp onside kick near the end of the game. In two games, the wide receiver has only six catches for 53 yards.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were playing without Hurts for the first of several times this season, as the QB is sidelined with a superficial blood clot. Philadelphia did get wide receiver DeVonta Smith back from his hamstring and toe injuries, but it also keeps missing running back Saquon Barkley and his top two backups.

Backup Tanner McKee struggled to connect with Smith and other Eagles' wide receivers for much of the game in Sunday's 25-14 home loss to the Panthers. That was the Eagles' third consecutive defeat (2-4), and they're suddenly iffy to make the NFC playoffs.

When first grading the Brown trade as it went down on June 1, the Patriots got an "A" for A.J. The Eagles got a "B" for Brown. Upon further review, that was too favorable an evaluation for both teams:

MORE: Inside A.J. Brown's relationship with Mike Vrabel

Re-grading the A.J. Brown trade

Patriots got: WR A.J. Brown

Eagles got: 2027 fifth-round draft pick, 2028 first-round draft pick

Patriots grade: D

The Patriots aren't feeling the lost draft capital yet, but a first-rounder in '28 was still a lot to give up in itself for a 29-year-old wideout with a notable history of soft-tissue injuries. Maye broke out of his slump in Week 4 vs. the Bills and Week 5 vs. the Raiders without Brown.

With Brown struggling to finish his routes on passes from Maye, the touchdowns and big plays had to come from other receivers. Fellow newcomer Romeo Doubs opened the scoring with a 46-yard strike from Maye before leaving with a shoulder injury. Demario Douglas also found the end zone as the Patriots' leading receiver, with seven catches on eight targets for 86 yards and a TD. Tight end Hunter Henry was second with his four catches for 48 yards and a TD.

The Patriots also rushed for 148 yards. All that adds up to Brown not being needed for their offense to be productive and explosive, much like 2025 with Maye under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels when Brown wasn't a Patriot.

Brown and Maye can still get on the same page, but the trust factor isn't there yet. Maye and Vrabel are experiencing some of the frustration the Eagles did with Brown, wanting him to have a big role but not getting the consistent return.

Should the Patriots keep moving the ball and winning in a total groove with Maye, Brown will see fewer targets, as Vrabel is most interested in the bottom line of winning.

MORE: What to know about Jalen Hurts' recovery timeline from blood clots

Eagles grade: C

McKee is a big-armed pocket passer. Without Hurts, the Eagles are missing the rushing element from their quarterback. That would make a big, speedy outside target of Brown's ilk (6-1, 226 pounds) valuable for the Eagles during a tough time.

Smith has done well as the unquestioned No. 1. He ended up with 7 catches for 75 yards and a TD from McKnee in his Week 6 return, but he was also targeted 14 times. The rest of the Eagles wideouts — Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper and Elijah Moore — combined for 7 catches for 56 yards on 14 targets.

The Eagles used a first-round pick, No. 20 overall, to draft Lemon in April. That move signaled they would follow through with the Brown trade less than two months later.

Unfortunately, Lemon has lived up more to his last name as a rookie. Through six games, he has only 18 catches for 127 yards on 27 targets. He has yet to score a TD, playing a lot behind Wicks and surprise big-play threat Cooper.

The Eagles do miss Brown. Although they could have foreseen the time-missing injuries to Goedert, Smith, Barkley, and now Hurts, they have been put in a real pinch without having another dangerous receiving option for whom pass defenses must game-plan. McKee needed that guy away from Smith to succeed passing on the Panthers, and he wasn't there.

It's a shame the Eagles couldn't make it work with Brown and Smith together for too long. "Skinny Batman" is doing all he can, but Philadelphia was bound to miss the presence of "Swole Batman" at some point. The Eagles have been left with a Round Robin at No. 2 wide receiver instead.

There's a lot of blame going around for the Eagles' offensive struggles, now tied most to their injury-riddled depth chart. Hurts, Sirianni, and first-year coordinator Sean Mannion have all gotten real heat, well before McKee needed to start.

Brown might have been a headache staying in Philadelphia, and his durability issue in New England says the team still might have made a good call overall. Plus, a couple of impactful draft picks are still looming.

The Eagles subtracting Brown vs. the Patriots adding Brown gives them a slightly better but still bad grade.

MORE NFL WEEK 7 NEWS: