Injuries have begun to dictate the early part of the season for the New England Patriots. In particular, injuries at wide receiver have turned a position of depth into a major question mark this October.
A.J. Brown was the marquee addition this offseason for the Patriots. He hasn’t played since Week 1, though, when he suffered a high-ankle sprain. That’s an injury that landed him on IR. Meanwhile, Mack Hollins suffered a non-contact calf injury against the Buffalo Bills last week.
Things were getting thin quickly and there were some rumors that the Patriots might make a move to add a wide receiver. That hasn’t happened to this point, though, and that’s a point that Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston recently jumped on, believing it implies that the Patriots are optimistic about Brown and Hollins.
“I would just say look at the lack of a transaction at that position,” Perry said. “If you really needed somebody, and you’re down Mack Hollins and you’re down AJ Brown, and you’re thinking both those guys aren’t gonna be available for the next month? You would’ve seen somebody in here by now. Right? Because now you’re looking for a band-aid. You need a band-aid, you need to give that band-aid as much time as humanly possible to get up to speed quickly. That guy would’ve been in here Monday or Tuesday. He would’ve been practicing today. They haven’t done that. So, I think that there might be some optimism with both of these receivers who are banged up right now.”
This is, of course, more about reading tea leaves than anything else. Still, it’s good to hear some optimism on the injury front for New England.
The Latest on New England Patriots WRs A.J. Brown, Mack Hollins
There may be reason for the Patriots to be optimistic. For now, though, both A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins are still dealing with injuries.
Brown is on IR. He won’t be eligible to return until at least Week 6 because of that. That’s at the earliest, assuming he’s fully recovered. Still, there is some reason for optimism that he can hit that date.
Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald reported on Wednesday that he saw Brown in the Patriots locker room. According to Kyed, “A.J. Brown was in the Patriots locker room with his cleats on today. He’s eligible to practice next week.” On top of that, Kyed noted that Brown appeared to be walking normally.
All of that points to Brown trending in the right direction. That’s more than can be said for Hollins right now, whose vague calf injury is still up in the air. Still, as Vrabel said about Wednesday’s practice, “I wouldn’t anticipate Mack being out there.”
That’s not definitive. However, it does sound like Hollins isn’t going to be ready to go for Sunday.
Rumors the Patriots Could Add at WR Persist
While the Patriots have yet to add a new wide receiver, there are still plenty of rumors that they could add a new wide receiver. One of the most popular names is Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals.
Harrison is a former can’t-miss prospect who is having a shockingly unproductive third NFL season after being injured for most of his second season. Now, he may need a fresh start. Given that the Patriots have injuries at wide receiver and could be buying low, there’s some logic to that potential move.
Of course, trading Harrison would be a very bad look for the Cardinals. So, they may not want to make that trade with the Patriots or anyone else. Still, Harrison is far from the only receiver the Patriots could prove to have some interest in.
Patriots Get Optimistic Update on Injured WRs A.J. Brown, Mack Hollins