This is not what the New England Patriots had planned when they traded their 2028 1st-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“Sources: Patriots are placing wide receiver AJ Brown on injured reserve due to his high ankle sprain, sidelining him for a minimum of four games,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Friday.
“Games that WR A.J. Brown will be missing while on injured reserve: Sept. 20: vs. Steelers, Sept. 27: at Jaguars, Oct. 4: at Bills, Oct. 11: vs. Raiders,” ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote on his official X account on Friday.
Brown injured his ankle in a season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday night.
“Patriots WR AJ Brown is expected to be out at least 4 weeks following his high-ankle sprain last night,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Thursday night.
“The high ankle sprain is a lot worse; there are situations where a broken ankle is a lot better than a high-ankle sprain,” ESPN NFL analyst, former NFL wide receiver, and Academy Award winner Andrew Hawkins said on Thursday morning.
Figuring Out A.J. Brown’s Recovery Time
There are essentially 3 different levels of severity when it comes to high ankle sprains — Brown appears to have a Grade 2 sprain, for which the recovery time is 3-8 weeks and requires a walking boot, which Brown was seen in after Wednesday night’s game.
The worst-case scenario would have been a Grade 3 high ankle sprain, which means a complete tear or rupture and would require 3 to 6 months of recovery — essentially ending Brown’s season.
Brown will now — at the very least — match the career-high 4 games he missed in the 2024 regula season.
Cowboys Star Could Provide Clues on Recovery
The video of Brown’s injury looked eerily similar to the high-ankle sprain suffered by Dallas Cowboys star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb in Week 4 of the 2025 regular season.
Lamb’s injury sidelined him for the next 3 games.
“A.J. Brown Right high-ankle sprain, no fracture,” Dr. Jesse Morse wrote on his official X account on Thursday morning. “MRI later today to confirm severity. Grade 1: Out 1-2 weeks. Grade 2: Out 3-6 weeks. Grade 3: Out 6-8 weeks (unlikely). Best-case scenario: he ONLY misses Week 2 and returns in a limited fashion for Week 3. The energy was distributed through the high (syndesmotic) and medial (deltoid) ligaments. The deltoid ligament was stronger and held up; the high-ankle wasn’t. Likely could have been much worse.”
Ex-Eagles WR A.J. Brown Lands on Injured Reserve: Report