According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the New England Patriots have placed wide receiver A.J. Brown on the injured reserve with a high ankle sprain. Brown suffered the injury early in the third quarter of the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night.
Before the injury, Brown had three catches for 26 yards in his Patriots’ debut. He and quarterback Drake Maye looked to be getting into a rhythm heading into the second half.
The injury came on a contested catch. Brown went down to try to grab an under-thrown ball from Maye with Seattle cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett right on his back. Pritchett went to deflect the ball, and as both fell towards the ground, Pritchett’s knee came down on Browns right ankle. It was incidental contact.
Brown’s placement on the injured reserve will sideline him for a minimum of four weeks. High ankle sprains do typically have relatively short recovery times, typically forcing players to miss anywhere between three and six weeks. Considering this happened in the first game of the season, it’s highly likely the Patriots will give Brown an abundance of time to properly recover so that he’s at full health for the second half of the season.
Brown Sidelined With High Ankle Sprain
A.J. Brown was the Patriots prized signing of the offseason. Along with the addition of Romeo Doubs, the New England wide receiver depth was viewed as one of the stronger rooms in the league. But, with Brown now out for the next month and Doubs looking shaky in his Patriots’ debut, New England’s offense has more question marks than most thought it would this early in the season.
Brown’s connection with New England came from his time in Tennessee, when he was coached by Mike Vrabel. The two had a very close relationship, and Vrabel played a big part in getting Brown to sign with the Pats this offseason.
Brown has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in six of his seven NFL seasons. That number will be more difficult to reach this season, especially if he missed more than four games.
Where Does Maye Turn to With Brown Out?
Drake Maye was anticipating having a true No. 1 wide receiver for the first time in his NFL career this season. Now that Brown is out, last year’s MVP-runner up will have to find some new favorite targets.
Up at the top of that list is Mack Hollins, who caught four passes for 51 yards on Wednesday night. Hollins was consistently one of Maye’s favorite mid-range targets last season.
Doubs will also need to step up after his shaky debut. His costly drop in the third quarter came right before Maye threw an interception. That doesn’t excuse the interception, but if he makes that catch, New England would have picked up a first down and the situation changes entirely.
You can expect Efton Chism III to be activated ahead of week two. He’ll provide depth behind Hollins, Doubs, Pop Douglas and Kyle Williams.
Patriots Make Final Decision on A.J. Brown Injury