A.J. Brown’s first season in New England has taken another hit, and the Patriots will be without their top receiver again on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
Head coach Mike Vrabel officially ruled Brown out after the veteran wideout missed every practice this week because of a knee issue. It’s the latest setback for a player who has already spent a big chunk of the year sidelined.
Brown originally went down with an ankle injury in the Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks nearly two months ago. An MRI later showed a high ankle sprain, and New England put him on Injured Reserve soon after, which kept him out of the next four games. In his Patriots debut, Brown caught just three passes on four targets for 26 yards.
He returned in Week 6 against the New York Jets, but that outing didn’t spark much. Brown finished with three catches on 10 targets for 27 yards, then followed it up with three receptions for 48 yards against the Chicago Bears. He missed last week’s win over the Miami Dolphins, and now he’ll sit again versus Green Bay.
The latest absence means Brown will have missed six of nine games in his first season with the Patriots. That’s a rough return on the trade package New England sent to get him - a first-round pick and a fifth-rounder - and it’s even tougher given the $32 million per year attached to his deal. Even when he has been on the field, Brown has been outproduced by Mack Hollins, Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas, and Hunter Henry.
With Brown out, Drake Maye will need to keep leaning on the rest of the passing game. Douglas leads the team with 26 catches for 332 yards and four touchdowns, while Henry has 29 catches for 326 yards and two scores. Efton Chism III also made a mark recently, finishing with a team-high five catches for 37 yards in the win over Miami.
There’s still no firm timetable for Brown’s return. He could be available next week against the Detroit Lions in Munich, Germany, but with a Week 11 bye coming up, the Patriots may decide to be cautious and keep him out for that one too.
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