After spending the designated four weeks on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 1, New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has been cleared for practice. He did not participate fully on Wednesday or Thursday, though, making his status for Sunday against the New York Jets uncertain.
Still, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels noted how it was “good to see him back out on the practice field,” and that Brown returning could provide a “fresh juice” to the guys in the wide out room.
“This happens quite a bit for us,” he said. “You miss a guy for a week, two weeks, sometimes longer than that, and then you have an opportunity to get him back during the course of the season, it’s always good. It brings some fresh juice to the guys and to the unit. 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.”
The Patriots have gotten inconsistent production from the top of the receiver group in Brown’s absence. This may be partly because there isn’t a weapon that demands extra attention or has the same presence as him.
Since Brown hasn’t played much this season, McDaniels doesn’t have much data to describe how the offense changes with him in it. But he compared it to the way Stefon Diggs drew attention in 2025 against the Jets.
“Last year they doubled Diggs in the Jet game a couple times,” said McDaniels. “So, anytime they put two people on one person, then someone else has a single opportunity.”
As good as it would be for Drake Maye and the New England offense to get their top target back as soon as this Sunday, it was made clear that it was no guarantee from the Patriots’ medical team. McDaniels was asked about having Brown back, which he quickly corrected to “when” they get him back, definitively showing that there is still an argument that Brown is not ready to go yet.
Brown himself said that his status is “still up in the air” and that it is “a coach Vrabel decision” on if he steps on the field for the first time since the third quarter of the season opener against Seattle.