FOXBORO — A.J. Brown has returned to practice this week, but the New England Patriots aren't 100% certain if the wide receiver will return to game action on Sunday. The team designated him to return off of injured reserve this week after missing the league-mandated four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Since then, Brown has been a constant on the practice field, leading the way in the receiver drills when reporters are present. However, there's still a lot to figure out about whether or not Brown will actually play.
Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels spoke to reporters Thursday afternoon, sharing that the team is preparing several game plans (like they do each week), with one of them including Brown — and another without Brown.
"Those kind of things are slashed with two different groups anyway in case we lose somebody," McDaniels said. "Guys are already studying both ends of the spectrum. ... They'll all be ready to go."
The Patriots got good production out of the wide receiver position these last few weeks, and adding Brown into that bunch will only help the team's output. But they don't want to rush anything. Brown's ankle — one that got hurt just three quarters into the season — could be the last piece of the Patriots' offensive output.
Right now, it's a wait-and-see type of situation.
Patriots Could Certainly Use A.J. Brown This Week
"It's always good to bring some fresh juice to the guys and to the unit," McDaniels said. "We know what he can do when he's out there and he's healthy. We'll see how the rest of this week goes, and ultimately what ends up happening, (I'm) sure Mike (Vrabel) will make a great decision about exactly how we need to do that if that goes forward that way."
When you factor in the Patriots' trip to Chicago on Thursday Night Football one week later, that could end up throwing a wrench into some potential planning.
"The quick turnaround affects everybody obviously," McDaniels continued. "There'll be a lot of things that'll happen after this game that we'll have to figure out offshore in terms of bumps and bruises and all that stuff, so we'll play it as it goes."
The Patriots would love to get Brown back in the huddle. He caught three passes in the season opener against the Seahawks, and it looked like his connection with Drake Maye was forming. But that had to be cut short.
What Did Brown Have To Say?
Brown, obviously, would love to play. His answers didn't stray away much from McDaniels'.
"It's still up in the air," Brown said. "Obviously, it's going to be coach Vrabel's decision to see where I'm at and make the better decision for the long haul and not just temporarily. But I'm just trying to stack each and every day right now. My focus is just on today and trying to get better, and see how I feel afterward."
For now, the Patriots aren't worried about Brown's availability for this week. Yes, it would be great to have him for Sunday, but they'll have 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. For now, it's all about getting him up to speed with the reps he's missed.
"There's no way to make up for all of the time that has been missed," McDaniels said. "I think you do the best you can with I would say a very intelligent amount of work. I don't think you can bring somebody back and then overwork them to try to hurry up and catch up. I don't think that's really the right process."
"I'm one step at a time," Brown said. "Right now, I just want to practice."
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