The New England Patriots saw the long-awaited return of wide receiver A.J. Brown in Week 6.
Although Brown did not have his finest day as a pro in his first game back after sustaining a high ankle sprain in the season opener back in early September, the team will be hoping that the performances only improve from here on in.
Conversely, the Patriots could be saying goodbye – at least for the moment – to their de facto WR2, Romeo Doubs.
Doubs injured his shoulder on Sunday against the New York Jets on a 42-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, and did not return for the rest of the game as the Patriots won 26-19.
Per the team’s roster moves on Monday at 4pm ET, Doubs will miss at least the next four games after he was placed on injured reserve.
Romeo Doubs Placed on IR With Shoulder Injury
“The Patriots placed WR Romeo Doubs on injured reserve with a shoulder injury and signed DB Elliott Davison to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.” Ian Rapoport posted on X.
Doubs had not been having his ideal season prior to the injury in Week 6. The former Green Bay Packer had managed just 261 yards in six games; an auspiciously low number for a highly priced free agent that was operating as the WR1 in Brown’s absence for over a month.
The 26-year old has also struggled to get open, and even when he has, drops have been persistent.
How Will Romeo Doubs’ Absence Affect the Patriots Offense?
In recent weeks, as the Patriots offense has sparked into life, quarterback Drake Maye had been preferring other targets such as DeMario Douglas, Kyle Williams and Efton Chism III.
Yet even with Doubs under-performing, this is still sad and a loss for a New England team that was already thin in terms of truly high-end receiving talent.
There has not been any official diagnosis of Doubs’ injury yet, so there is no timeline or suspected return date for the fifth year pro beyond missing the next four games.
Patriots Deliver Bad News on Romeo Doubs After Shoulder Injury