A.J. Brown’s first stretch with the New England Patriots has been hard to make sense of, and that’s exactly why it’s become such a talking point.
The numbers alone are underwhelming. Through parts of three games with the Patriots - after leaving the season opener early with a high-ankle sprain and missing the next four games - the Mississippi native has nine catches on 20 targets for 101 yards and no touchdowns. The efficiency hasn’t been there, and it feels like every other throw in his direction ends with a drop.
The eye test hasn’t helped his case, either. Brown has looked slow getting into his routes, has had trouble creating separation, and was especially bottled up against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. He hasn’t come close to the version the Patriots expected when they brought him in.
And yet, it’s not time to completely write him off. It’s still early in the season.
He’s just a week removed from returning from that high-ankle sprain. He’s learning a new system, working with a new quarterback, and trying to settle in with a new team.
That kind of adjustment takes time. Plus, even with Brown not looking like himself, he has still helped open things up for others.
Against the Bears, Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon combined for 10 receptions, 127 yards and a touchdown because the middle of the field was available.
Still, this isn’t some mystery player. The Patriots know what Brown is capable of - or at least what he has been capable of - and they are not seeing that version right now.
The concerns go beyond the catches and yardage. His pass-blocking has been shaky, and his effort has even come under scrutiny. There was a deep throw from Drake Maye against Chicago that Brown didn’t try to go up for, even if the play likely wasn’t going to result in a touchdown because of the coverage.
That said, it’s impossible to know from the outside exactly what’s behind the uneven play. It could be effort.
It could be him still shaking off rust after being sidelined for a month. It could be that the ankle still isn’t right.
The frustrating part is simple: we know he’s struggling, but we don’t know why.
Even so, there’s a fair standard here. Brown should be better than this.
An ankle injury shouldn’t keep him from securing wide-open five-yard throws, and he has already shown that kind of mistake can happen in this stretch, including against the New York Jets in Week 6. At the same time, with no receiver like DeVonta Smith - or even Romeo Doubs - drawing attention on the other side, defenses can key on Brown more easily.
He is also 29 and dealing with a degenerative knee condition, which matters when you’re talking about what kind of player he is now. He’s not old, but he’s not a young breakout anymore either, and there’s a real chance the best athletic version of him is already behind him.
That doesn’t mean Brown is washed up. It does mean patience is running on a shorter leash now.
Once he finally gets over the hump - whether that’s with a touchdown, a 20-yard catch, or something else to snap him out of it - the rest should start to follow. Until then, he has plenty to prove to the Patriots and to everyone watching.
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Whitlocks situation appears straightforward enough, while Grays case looks like the more significant call on the docket. Boston also has a separate roster squeeze to manage, needing to trim the 40-man roster by four spots before Nov. 2 after a mix of free-agent departures and injuries left the group crowded again. [Read more 🡒]