Remember that season opener, 12s, when our Seahawks kicked off the year by handing New England a loss? Well, turns out we also kicked their star receiver A.J. Brown right onto injured reserve. Now, the Patriots are finally opening up his practice window, meaning Brown is back on the field this Wednesday.
Our Week 1 Statement Game Put Him on Ice
It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was in that very first game against our Seattle Seahawks that A.J. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain. That injury forced him onto injured reserve, and he’s been sidelined ever since. Week 6 was the earliest Brown could even be activated, so the fact he’s hitting practice now is a solid sign that his ankle is healing up well. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, though, isn’t getting ahead of himself. “I don’t know. He hasn’t been out there,” Vrabel said when asked about Brown’s return. “I can’t tell you until we actually see it. He hadn’t been out there for four weeks, so we’ll get him back out there practicing and see if he’s ready to go in a couple days. If not, then 21-day window and we’ll go from there.”
New England’s Tightrope Walk with Their Big-Ticket Receiver
The Patriots now have a 21-day window to activate Brown to the main roster, or he’s stuck on IR for the rest of the season. Given his importance, it’s pretty unlikely they’ll need that much time. Vrabel seems confident in how Brown handled the rehab process, too. “I think he’s stayed engaged,” Vrabel shared. “I think it’s difficult sometimes to stay engaged, but I think his routine was really good. His ability to be around the guys in meetings and also focus on his rehab. Just treated everything as a pro and be where he’s supposed to be and work hard to get back.”
Let’s not forget, New England shipped a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia just this offseason to get Brown, reuniting him with Vrabel, who coached him back in 2019 with the Titans. Last season for the Eagles, Brown put up big numbers: 78 catches, 1,003 yards, and seven touchdowns. His brief debut with the Patriots in Week 1 against our Hawks saw him catch three passes for 26 yards on four targets before he went down.
It’s still up in the air if Brown suits up this Sunday against the New York Jets, especially with that short turnaround to Thursday Night Football against the Bears in Chicago for Week 7. Vrabel acknowledged the tight schedule, saying, “We obviously know we have a shortened week next week. Can’t impact our decisions to try and do everything we can to win this week, and then figure out where we are after that.” The Patriots are focused on the Jets right now. But one thing’s for sure: our Hawks already made their mark on his season way back in Week 1. Now we’ll just watch and see how he bounces back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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