Some quarterbacks need months to build tangible chemistry with their wide receivers. All Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown needed was less than 30 minutes of game time.
Hurts, the Eagles' quarterback aiming to cement his place as a top-tier starter in the NFL, caught a shotgun snap on third-and-4 from his own 42-yard line in the season opener against the Lions. He turned right and didn't need to look anywhere else. He already knew where the ball was going.
Brown, the Eagles' new star wideout who was traded to Philadelphia in the offseason, had a Detroit defender draped all over him deep downfield. But he knew the pass would be exactly where it needed to be.
The play was harmony.'
Brown's reception put the Eagles inside the 5-yard line, a sequence that would be a prelude for what was to come in 2022.'
“If you put in the work with anybody, any quarterback, you develop that chemistry,” Brown said. “You've got to build that faith process, that trust process with them in-game, not just working out because he has to trust you and that's going to come in the game.”
The Hurts-Brown connection was a product of their relationship which had been strong since high school when Hurts grew up in Texas and Brown was raised in Mississippi. Now they were finally playing together and showcasing their talents in unison.