The New England Patriots have a wide receiver problem, largely because of injuries. A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Mack Hollins sustained a calf injury against the Buffalo Bills and is now on injured reserve. Romeo Doubs also joined the list after suffering a shoulder injury against the New York Jets.
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With Hollins and Doubs sidelined, the Patriots leaned heavily on their No. 1 receiver, Brown. The franchise activated him off injured reserve (roughly 12 days ago), and expectations were high as he returned to the lineup. However, his performances in the first two games back have drawn scrutiny after he dropped multiple passes.
That has raised questions about whether the ankle injury that kept him out for a month is still affecting him. As it turns out, it is. Brown recently sat down with Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi and confirmed that his ankle is not fully healed, even though he has returned to the starting lineup.
“Yeah, sometimes, I see it, and sometimes, I’m pushing through,” AJ Brown said on Wednesday. “But none of that stuff even matters. I’m out here, so I’m going.”
The development around Brown’s situation gained momentum after the Patriots listed him as limited participation due to an ankle/knee issue during Wednesday’s practice. The receiver’s injury, meanwhile, occurred during the Patriots’ 13-10 loss to the Seahawks in the season opener.
Quarterback Drake Maye threw a low pass toward Brown, who was trying to reach down and make the catch while Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett defended him. As Brown fell toward the turf, Pritchett’s knee landed on his right ankle, trapping it against the ground and forcing it into an awkward position.
Brown was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game before the Patriots placed him on injured reserve. New England activated him ahead of its Week 6 matchup against the New York Jets, but the receiver has struggled to meet the expectations that came with the Patriots’ decision to trade for him from the Philadelphia Eagles in the summer.
Against the Jets, Brown played 76.5 percent of snaps, while catching three passes on 10 targets for 27 yards in a 26-19 win. At the same time, however, he dropped three passes. Against the Chicago Bears last week, he played 90.7 percent of their total snaps, catching three passes for 48 yards on six targets.
However, he failed to catch a 45-yard pass from Maye after Bears cornerback Malik Muhammad swiped down on the receiver’s hands. As that happened, former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel called out AJ Brown, admitting that he doesn’t deserve a place in head coach Mike Vrabel’s offense.
“A.J. Brown, he was a non-factor in this game against the Chicago Bears,” Samuel said on What Needs To Be Said podcast. “I just have to admit it. This isn’t the system for A.J. Brown to thrive in. There is no role for A.J. Brown in this system. If he can’t create the separation that he needs to create or make the plays that Mike Vrabel expects him to make, yeah, on that deep pass, that go route, there might have been a little pass in the finish, but Mike Vrabel doesn’t care about that. He didn’t bring him over and trade for him to complain about a one-armed pass interference.
“He expects A.J. Brown to make that play or make the rough call to penalty; either way, there is just no excuse. He’s a non-factor so far. Most of the time when A.J. Brown is targeted, the ball is being forced to him, and it’s stopping Drake Maye from being or playing quarterback. When Drake Maye completes a big play down the field, A.J. Brown isn’t the recipient. So what is A.J. Brown’s role in this offense? He isn’t coming down with the go balls. Other players are making the big plays in this game.”
Brown’s poor performance carries significant concern, considering the wide receiver has recorded six 1,000+ yard seasons in the first seven years of his NFL career. At the same time, he recorded 1,051, 1,075, and 869 receiving yards in the first three seasons of his career with the Tennessee Titans, with Mike Vrabel as his head coach. But in New England, AJ Brown has yet to find his footing despite reuniting with his former head coach.
Amid AJ Brown’s struggles and injuries in the wide receiver corps, the Patriots still manage to put up a strong passing offense. The team ranks 9th in the league in total passing yards after the first seven weeks of the season. However, while it’s true that Brown’s ankle isn’t fully healthy, the receiver knows the expectations his team has for him.
“I’m year eight,” said Brown. “I know I’ve been out a month, but none of that stuff even matters. I’m gonna continue to say it because I’m in it. I’m in it now, you know? And I gotta go out and compete. I gotta put one together.”
The Patriots enter their Week 8 matchup against the Miami Dolphins at 4-3, coming off a Week 7 loss to the Bears. While Vrabel’s team will be looking to bounce back, it remains to be seen how much A.J. Brown can contribute to the Patriots’ success in the coming weeks.