The Patriots are heading into a crucial stretch with some uncertainty hanging over two key pieces of their offense, and A.J. Brown’s status is right at the center of it.
On Monday morning, Mike Vrabel said the team has not made a final call on whether Brown, who is dealing with a knee injury, will travel to Germany for New England’s game against the Detroit Lions. Still, the expectation is that he will make the trip.
“Mike Vrabel: No decision made if WR A.J. Brown (knee) will travel to Germany at this point, but plan would be for him to do so,” Reiss reported on Monday morning.
Brown’s availability matters even more with the Patriots sitting two and a half games behind the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East race. New England brought him in via trade from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason with the idea that he would become the team’s top wide receiver, but injuries have interrupted that plan, including the knee issue he’s dealing with now.
There was more bad news on the injury front, too. Mark Daniels reported that Vrabel said center Ben Brown will not travel with the team to Germany. That leaves Drake Maye facing the possibility of being without both his starting center and his top target overseas.
The timing is not ideal for New England. The Patriots are coming off a 45-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, and they need a win against the Lions before heading into their bye week.
Having A.J. Brown available would give the offense a major lift and at least give Maye a better shot at keeping the Patriots in the game.
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