OCTOBER 15: Brown said after Thursday’s practice (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss) he “felt pretty good.” At this point, though, it remains to be seen if he will be activated in time for Sunday’s game.
OCTOBER 14: Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown has been on IR with a high ankle sprain for almost the whole season, but he is nearing a return. The Patriots are opening Brown’s 21-day practice window on Wednesday, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.
Brown was the marquee offseason pickup for the reigning AFC champion Patriots, who acquired him from the Eagles in a June 1 blockbuster. That was one of several notable moves New England made to address its receiving corps between the end of last season and the beginning of the 2026 campaign. The Patriots released Stefon Diggs, their leading receiver in 2025, and brought in Brown and free agent Romeo Doubs (four years, $68MM) as their new starters. They also said goodbye to Kayshon Boutte in a late-August trade with the Texans.
Two weeks after shipping out Boutte, the Patriots opened their season with a 13-10 loss to the Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl LX. Brown exited with his injury in the third quarter after catching three of four targets for 26 yards. The Patriots quickly placed Brown on IR, setting the stage for the three-time second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler to miss at least four games. It’s possible he could sit out up to six weeks, but regardless, Brown is on track to return by the first week of November at the latest.
With Brown on the shelf, the Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye looked shaky during a 1-2 start. However, they have won two in a row – including a crucial road victory over the AFC East rival Bills in Week 4 – and Maye has looked more like his MVP runner-up self from last year.
Maye’s recent success has come in spite of the absences of Brown and receiver Mack Hollins, who injured his calf in Buffalo and went on IR last weekend. But going without those two did not have a negative effect on Maye in a 45-17 drubbing of the Raiders in Week 5. During a 26-of-34, 374-yard, four-touchdown performance, Maye spread the ball around to nine different pass catchers. While Doubs had just one reception for 16 yards, fellow wideouts Kyle Williams, DeMario Douglas and Efton Chism combined for 12 catches and 213 yards. Those four are currently the Patriots’ top options at receiver, but Brown and Hollins will provide major reinforcements in the next few weeks.
In yet another positive update for New England, star cornerback Christian Gonzalez said he will be “ready to go” this Sunday versus the division-rival Jets, per Karen Guregian of MassLive.com. Gonzalez became the NFL’s highest-paid corner when he inked a four-year, $135MM extension right before Week 1, but a shoulder injury has limited him this season. Although Gonzalez was unavailable over the past two weeks, the Patriots held their own without him.