A pair of former Ole Miss star wide receivers got the chance to debut with new teams in the NFL in nationally televised, primetime games on Wednesday and Thursday.
But for A.J. Brown and De’Zhaun Stribling, the opportunities didn’t go well. Neither finished their game, as both ended up with injuries.
Brown is newly with the New England Patriots, his third team in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles traded him to the reigning AFC champs in the offseason.
Stribling is a member of the San Francisco 49ers. He’s a rookie, having just made it to the College Football Playoff with Ole Miss last season.
Brown and the Pats were playing on Wednesday night in a Super Bowl rematch in Seattle. They lost, and they lost Brown for what looks like multiple weeks.
Stribling and the 49ers were all the way Down Under, taking on the Los Angeles Rams in Australia on Thursday evening in the United States (Friday morning in Australia). San Francisco won, but Stribling also left the game early.
It certainly wasn’t how Ole Miss fans rooting on their past stars would’ve drawn it up.
De’Zhaun Stribling Injury News
When Stribling first went down, there was concern he had injured his Achilles, based on the way he went to the turf.
After the game, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that the Achilles was intact.
It’s actually a left ankle injury for Stribling, who hurt it early on, returned to the game, then went down while running a route and left the game for good.
Stribling had to be carted to the X-ray room, and his length of absence is still uncertain.
But the fact that the 49ers could quickly rule out an Achilles ailment is likely a good sign for Stribling’s chances of playing again at some point in his rookie season.
A.J. Brown Injury News
More information is out about Brown’s injury because it happened a day earlier.
Brown sustained a high-ankle sprain when his leg was rolled underneath him while being tackled.
“According to multiple reports, an MRI on Thursday confirmed that Brown suffered a high-ankle sprain when he was injured during Wednesday night’s 13-10 loss to the Seahawks,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper writes. “Those reports also say that Brown is expected to miss at least four weeks while he recovers from the injury. That time frame would make him a candidate for injured reserve, but there’s no word on the team’s plans at this point.”
Brown had a quiet debut before having to leave the game, a part of a struggling night for the entire Patriots passing attack.
Given that New England made the Super Bowl last season, they’ll have bigger goals than these early weeks — but the Patriots also have a much tougher schedule this season than last, and they won’t want to be without Brown for too long.
Injury News for De’Zhaun Stribling, A.J. Brown Is Bad Start for Ex-Ole Miss Stars